


A Happy Beginning Now is Ours

by AHappyBeginning



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan Kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2018-11-02 11:23:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 63,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10943505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHappyBeginning/pseuds/AHappyBeginning
Summary: Basically a place where i can throw in all of the drabbles i have for the CS family. They have kids! And domestic bliss! And maybe a little angst?





	1. Friday Night- Saturday Morning

They were lucky to get a night off, honestly. Between her work as Sheriff and his work down at the boat yard, and three kids, a night off was as rare as rare things came along. Which wasn’t often. Emma had wanted a quiet night out, maybe just catching a movie and getting dinner together in one of the more low key establishments in town, but Killian had persuaded her to hit the bars with him. He’d argued that they’d not drank together in a long time, and he was in the mood for a little whiskey or rum, and that it’d be a great way for them to relax and let their hair down. So, after an extra layer of eyeliner and a ruffle of hair, they were both heading out while Mary Margaret stayed behind to watch the kids. 

Emma and Killian were now seated at the bar, ordering their next round of drinks. “Just a water for me, lots of ice.” Emma said softly as Killian signalled a refill of his rum. “One of us has to be able to wake up for the kids in the morning.” She teased, hinting at Killian’s rapidly declining sobriety. He shot her a lustful look and shifted in his seat, moving his head closer to hers and nibbling on her ear. “Or we could just stay up all night.” He suggested, his words slurred and elongated from drink. Emma pushed him away, a little embarrassed by his public display. 

“Love, did you just shove me?” He asked in mock shock. He playfully pouted and tried his best to look offended before he was distracted by the refill in front of him. Emma sighed and smiled at her husband. “Come on pirate, let’s get you home.” She told him gently. “Hopefully your sneaking skills improve with alcohol so we can sneak your drunk ass past my mom.” 

Killian stood, and swayed. “What was that about my ass, Swan?” Killian practically yelled. Emma flushed bright red and stood immediately, thanking the bar man. “Okay, we’re going home Captain. Come on.” She told him bossily, gripping his arm and leading him outside. Once they were in the fresh air, Killian rapidly became sillier and sillier. He began singing old sea shanty’s and giggling like a twelve year old girl. At one point he even attempted to skip while holding Emma’s hand. Emma couldn’t help but grin stupidly at her husband’s behaviour. He was drunk. Actually, he was a little past being drunk, but she was enjoying him either way. “Keep your voice down or i’ll have to arrest you for being a public nuisance.” She threatened, though he didn’t hear her at all. He’d be hell in the morning, whining about his head, and needing coffee brought to him every hour. But, she always had fun teasing him the morning after, especially if he’d done something particularly bold the night before. 

Killian turned to his wife and gave her a wicked smile. “I love Emma Swan! And her perfect breasts” He yelled out as loud as he could, then staggered away from her before she could grab him to cover his loud mouth. “I love her! And i really, really, really love her as-“ He started to yell before Emma finally caught up to him and closed her hand over his mouth. “One more word about my body Killian Jones and you’re sleeping on the Jolly Roger.” She warned. 

“Em…maaaaa Swan has the best wardrobe in Storybrooke.” Killian sang out cheekily, breaking away from her. “She wears clothes that fit her well, and make her look great. But i prefer her with nothing on.” He continued to sing, making his way haphazardly to their front gate.

By this point Emma had given up trying to reprimand him, and submitted to walking quietly behind him, occasionally lending a hand when he started to look as if he really might faceplant into a nearby bush. 

She managed to grab him before he knocked too loud on the front door, pinning him up against the wall. He seemed to thing it was an advance on him, and smirked as he snaked his hands round her waist and onto her ass. 

“Steps away from your mother, i like it you siren.” He whispered, but not quietly at all. Emma simply rolled her eyes at this and allowed him to remain groping her ass, but pulled her key out to unlock the front door. Obviously, her mother had been listening out for them because no sooner than the key began to turn did Mary Margaret swing the door open. She looked slightly flushed at the sight of Killian gripping her daughter’s ass, for which Emma immediately apologised for. “Sorry mom, he drank way too much. Apparently this pirate doesn’t hold his rum like he used to.” Mary Margaret nodded and gave Emma a sympathetic smile. 

“Killian, please take your hands off my daughter’s behind.” She said firmly, giving her son-in-law a warning glance. Killian pouted and stalked into the house, looking put out. Emma almost laughed as she hugged her mom. “Thank you so much for tonight. Were the kids all okay?” She asked, standing on the porch with her mom.   
Mary Margaret smiled and nodded. “The girls had me read them Peter Pan about fifty times, and Liam wanted to hear all about Bandit Snow.” She smiled happily. Emma laughed and embraced her mom. “Thank you again. We’re still on for family night at Granny’s tomorrow?” Emma confirmed as she heard Killian clanging and banging around inside the house. Mary Margaret nodded and chuckled lightly as she glanced in towards the noise. “You’d better go sort out that husband of yours before he wakes up those children i tried so hard to get to sleep.” 

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Half an hour later and Emma had finally enticed Killian up the stairs successfully and had helped him strip himself of his clothing enough to be comfortable to sleep. She lay him down in only his boxers and he tried his best to grab at her ass. “Let the pirate have his booty!” He demanded. Emma swatted his hands away and mock scolded him. “I’m going to check on the kids again. You’d better be asleep when i get back.” She told him with a grin, leaving him to hopefully fall asleep into a drunken mess. He’d no doubt snore all night, the alcohol stealing away her otherwise pleasantly soft sleeping husband. Emma checked in on the twins, smiling to herself as she tucked Liam back in, for the third time since she’d gotten home. Her boy really was a messy sleeper, kicking everything and everyone in his way. She’d always called him her little gymnast, his energy levels never fully lulling, not even in his sleep. She never needed to sort out his twins bedding however, the little girl having always been the quiet to his energy. Emma bent down and kissed the top of Amelia's head, stroking back a few wisps of hair that had dropped into the eyes of her little one. Leaving the twins to sleep peacefully, Emma dropped in on her youngest’s bedroom. Little Lydia. She was still a baby in Emma’s eyes, even though the toddler firmly told everyone that she was in fact, a big girl. Readjusting the teddy that had slept by Lydia’s side since her birth, Emma then kissed her baby on the head and left to go back to Killian.

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Killian was not asleep as she’d hoped. Rather, he was laying on their bed, waiting for her, and had somehow rid himself of all clothing. She couldn’t help but laugh at him as she closed the door to their bedroom. “I’m not sleeping with you tonight.” She told him as she walked to her own side of the bed. “So if you’re going to sleep naked, i hope to God that you’re not going to get cold because i don’t think you’re sober enough to dress yourself at this point.” She mused, sitting on the edge of the bed to remove her earrings. 

“But love!” Killian objected, pouting at her back. “I’m your husband! And i’m naked. You’re s’posed to love me.”   
“I know you’re my husband, and i see that you’re naked.” Emma grinned, turning her head to look at him. “I do love you- and if you were sober and not a sloppy mess like you currently are, things may have gone a little differently tonight. But i guess we’ll have to wait until the morning, won’t we?”

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Usually, Killian was the first to rise, but when Emma woke before her previously drunk husband, she wasn’t overly surprised. He smelt a lot like rum, not that she minded. He’d been working hard recently and they both enjoyed a drink or two in the evenings- things had just gotten a little carried away, and he clearly wasn’t as good with alcohol as he’d used to be. Emma made sure not to wake him as she snuck out of bed that morning, wanting to give him as much of a rest as possible before the kids were up and screaming for attention from their favourite captain. 

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Not surprisingly, Lydia was already awake when Emma went to go check on her. The little girl was just lying content in her toddler sized bed, teddy tucked under one arm. When she saw her Mama however, she sat up, big smile on her face, arms raised to signal that she wanted to be lifted into Emma’s arms. “Good morning my love.” Emma whispered softly, lifting the little girl into her arms and cradling her against her chest. “I missed you last night. Did you have fun with Grandma?” She asked softly, carrying Lydia downstairs to start breakfast. Her twins wouldn’t be awake for another hour or so, and if they did wake earlier than usual, they would race downstairs immediately, wanting to start the day with games and adventures and maybe a bit of television. Lydia liked to start a little slower. The little girl nodded at her Mom’s questions, small arms wrapped around Emma’s neck as she rested her chin on her shoulder. “Grandma Peter Pan.” She mumbled and Emma nodded with a smile.   
“Yeah? Did you make Grandma read you lots and lots of Peter Pan?” She asked, shifting Lydia to one hip so she could set the coffee machine to start brewing. Lydia nodded and giggled. “Papa.”   
“That’s right. Papa has a hook too. Like in Peter Pan.” Emma agreed, enjoying the small conversation she was having with her two and a half year old.   
“Papa good boy.” Lydia added, a small frown crossing her forehead.   
“Your daddy is a good boy. Not like the Hook in Peter Pan.” Emma said, understanding exactly what her daughter meant. The only way Killian had allowed their children to be read the Disney version of Peter Pan was if everyone made it clear that he was not the Captain Hook portrayed. That he was good. And even their youngest understood that.   
“Would you like pancakes for breakfast, or some oats?” Emma asked Lydia, pulling down a bowl from the cupboard.   
“Pancakes love.” Came Killian’s tired sounding reply, making Emma jump a little. “Although with the lass around, i’m not sure how much i’m going to get.” He added with a wink, moving over to kiss the top of Emma’s head, then Lydia’s. 

“Papa!” Lydia said with a wide grin, holding her arms out to be taken by him. He took her with a tired sigh, cuddling her small frame close. As she got closer to him, she gave a sniff and scrunched up her nose, turning back to Emma, leaning away from Killian. Emma laughed and took Lydia back from Killian’s arms.   
“You scared me. And i was asking the baby, who also thinks you smell, by the way. Go jump in the shower and i’ll think about pancakes for later.” She promised with a smile. Killian groaned and nodded, wiping sleep from his eyes. 

“Remind me not to drink so much next time Swan. And can you make one of those miracle drinks you made last time i did this awful thing to my body?” He requested.   
Emma had known he’d be like this, but she still felt a little sorry for him, so nodded. “Go clean yourself up and there will be a hangover cure waiting for you when you’re done.”   
“Your Mama is a bloody godsend.” Killian told Lydia, who giggled into Emma’s neck as her Papa left the room.   
“And your Papa is lucky he’s so handsome.” Came Emma’s whispered reply, though Killian was far too gone to hear her.

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Half an hour later, and the twins were both downstairs -both arguing over who had eaten the most pancakes and who should be allowed the last one- when Killian finally emerged from his shower. “One day, you two will realise how lucky you are to have one another.” He commented upon hearing them bickering, deciding to pick up the last pancake and eat it himself. The twins pouted, and half glared at their father, then went back to arguing with one another about something else trivial. Lydia was seated in her own chair, bits of cut up pancake and fruit still on her plate as she slowly made her way through her meal.   
“One hang over cure.” Emma said with a smile, holding out a glass of gross looking -far too thick to be liquid- liquid. “Enjoy.” She added with a small smile, knowing he’d do anything but. 

“You look far too happy about this drink, love.” Killian grumbled, taking the glass from his wife. Emma simply shrugged and gave him a smirk. “I would say that i told you so, but you wouldn’t remember it anyway, since you were so drunk.” She sassed back, making sure to whisper so the kids couldn’t hear.   
Killian simply rolled his eyes playfully and took the brave step of gulping down the drink. He was watched carefully by Lydia, her mouth stuffed full with pancakes, which almost came bursting out of her small mouth as her papa put on a dramatic show of drinking from his glass. The little girl giggled, then spluttered and spat all her food out back onto her plate. 

“Yucky.” She commented softly, looking down at the half chewed food sitting on top of her fruit cubes. Emma sighed, it was a struggle to get her young one to eat anyway, with all the distractions she had going on in the Swan-Jones household, and it looked like the few bites of fruit and pancakes she had managed to get down, was all it was going to be until her mid-morning snack. Luckily, her older two would be spending the day out with Daddy, which would give Emma the time and focus she needed to help Lydia concentrate on eating more.

She simply lifted Lydia’s plate away from her along with the twin’s plates and then kissed Killian on the cheek. “You ready for their soccer match?” She asked her husband. “Don’t forget that you’re on taking the team to Granny’s afterwards.” She added as she placed the dirty plates into the sink.  
Killian groaned as the twins ran away from the dinner table to play in front of the TV. “Swan, don’t leave me with hundreds of children. Can’t you come too? You’re much better with the team than i am.” He complained quietly, standing beside her as she did the dishes. 

“It’s not hundreds, it’s fifteen. And there are going to be other parents there. But like we’ve discussed before, it’s good for her to spend time with us one on one. She needs our attention and i have her today, and then you get to have her on Monday’s.” Emma explained, even though he knew all this, he was simply complaining for the sake of it. Lydia was still young, but needed one on one time with her parents to get over some of the hurdles she’d already faced in her young life. Food was one of the struggles she faced, mainly just the fact that she struggled to eat a lot. Then there was the worrying. Emma had noticed that Lydia had been a clingy baby and while she had initially assumed it had something to do with being born into a hectic family, they’d soon come to realise that it was in their child’s nature to simply, worry. She still cried most nights at bedtime, and often ended up in bed with Killian and Emma. She asked hundreds of questions in her tiny baby voice, which Emma and Killian tried their best to answer. Dr. Hopper had eventually told them that what Lydia needed right now, was their time, attention and patience. That eventually she’d become more and more secure, needing them to reassure her less and less.

“Fine.” Killian mumbled, picking Lydia up from her toddler chair. “But i’m taking my baby girl out for ice cream later today then. I’ll need a break from the hooligans.”  
Emma chuckled to herself. “Those hooligans are your children too, and would love ice cream with their Daddy. If they can stop arguing for two seconds to tell you what flavour they want.”

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Killian had sent her several texts, updating her on the twins’ soccer match, to which Emma smiled at, but didn’t reply to. She wanted to focus on Lydia, who was sat in her lap, slowly munching on some grapes and blueberries. 

“Yummy?” Emma asked quietly, stroking her little girls’ blonde hair. Lydia nodded in reply and held a grape up to Emma’s mouth, shoving it in. Emma laughed and allowed her daughter to stuff a grape in her mouth, chewing it with a smile. She wasn’t a huge fan of grapes, but she knew that eating it set a good example for her daughter, so she was more than happy to eat whatever food made Lydia feel more encouraged to eat.   
“Mama, where’s Dada?” Lydia asked, mouth full of grapes and blueberries. Emma smiled, knowing that her daughter was likely to start asking her string of usual nervous questions. 

“Remember? Daddy is with the twins at soccer? He’ll be back really, really soon though, i promise.” Emma told her daughter, hoping that her answer would put the little one at ease. Lydia nodded and then looked back at her Mom.   
“Why Dada not here?” She asked curiously, sounding a little worried. 

“Because Mama wanted to spend time with her little princess, and the big kids needed to go to their game. So he had to take them.”  
“Lydia big kid too!” Came the small one’s objection, which made the corners of Emma’s mouth turn up into a smile.   
“I know. You’re a very big kid.” Emma was about to give her daughter a more in depth answer, when the front door to the house opened, and her own Mom walked in. Lydia stood up from Emma’s lap and grinned widely at her Grandma, clapping her hands excitedly. 

“Hey Mom?” Emma said, looking a little confused. Snow came and joined her daughter and Grand-daughter on the floor, accepting Lydia into her arms when the little one went bounding over.  
“So i hope you don’t mind me interrupting, i just thought that a little chat would be nice after last night and i knew Killian would be with the twins at their match.” Snow explained. Emma nodded, understanding, and passed Lydia her small bowl of food now she was settled in Snow’s arms.   
“So….?” Snow asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly. 

Emma sighed and then chuckled. “I don’t know how much you expect me to be able to talk about in front of my three year old who repeats everything, especially since my husband last night was so intoxicated that he fell asleep butt naked on top of the bedsheets after several failed attempts at seducing me.”  
Snow blushed, but also laughed, hiding her grin in the top of Lydia’s hair. 

“I wasn’t actually meaning that part, i was meaning the date! It’s the first time you two have been out alone in a long time. Was it nice?”  
Emma shrugged. “It’s always nice spending time with him. But it would have been nicer if we’d made it to the movies and been able to come home to a romantic bath or something. But it is what it is. And seeing him that playful again was a nice reminder of what first attracted me to him.” She admitted. “I never was able to keep a straight face around a pirate with rum, that’s for sure.”

Snow gave her daughter a grin and then helped Lydia by handing her another grape. “And how’s this one?” Snow asked, eyes gesturing down towards the toddler sitting in her arms. Emma bit her lip and watched Lydia carefully, the toddler blissfully bored and unaware of the adult conversation going on around her.   
“Honestly, getting better. But slowly. She still won’t eat much, so i’m feeding her constantly though out the day just to get her calories up. And there’s still the worrying thing. Some days i think she’s just curious, and then others i think she’s living in a permanent state of anxiety. I just don’t understand why she’s so young and already anxious?” Emma said quietly. “Killian likes to act as if nothing’s wrong- that if we just…..love her enough, that it’ll all get better and maybe he’s right? But i don’t want to risk that it’s not enough. I just want to make her feel better.”

Snow reached out and took her daughter’s hand. “She’s going to be just fine Emma. She has the best Mama in the world. One who loves her, and is looking out for her, and will fight for her when need be. And she’s a tough cookie. She’ll catch up soon enough.”

Emma knew her Mom was right, that maybe part of the reason Lydia was so small and struggled to put any decent amount of weight on her was because of the early birth she’d had. Emma had gone into labour a couple of months early with Lydia after a truck slammed into the side of Emma’s sheriff car, and they’d both spent well over a month in hospital, trying to recover from the trauma they’d both gone though. Killian had been amazing through out it all, always seeming to find a way to spend all his time by Emma’s side when she was awake, yet always with Lydia too. And he still found time to go home and put the twins to bed too. It was a miracle that Lydia had made it, and that Emma had been able to survive the multiple operations she also went under. 

Emma squeezed her Mom’s hand, grateful for her words of wise advice. “I wouldn’t mind so much if she stayed my little baby forever, to be honest.” Emma smiled. “And i may try the date thing again with Killian in a couple of weeks, if the man can agree to no alcohol this time. Because i’m in need of some loving from my man and he gets rather….incapable ….when drunk.”

Snow looked as if she was going to speak for a moment, before deciding against it. Emma watched her carefully, head tilting to one side curiously.   
“Mom? What are you thinking?” She asked softly.

“It’s nothing- i just….it’s probably not a good time for it anyway, but i can’t help but think that maybe you’d want a weekend away with Killian? He could take you and the Jolly Roger out to sea for the weekend, your Dad and i can watch the kids, we have more than enough space.”   
Emma listened to her Mom talk, and for a moment, she really did think that it was a great idea. And then her eyes fell on little Lydia, who was still sitting in her Mom’s lap, eating away at the grapes and blueberries in her bowl. 

“I’ve never been away from her for longer than a night out with Killian.” She said quietly. “Do you think she’d be okay?” Emma asked softly, already thinking about how scared her daughter could be, how anxious she may get.  
“Emma, there’s only one way to find out. And she loves spending time with Charming, and Neal. She wouldn’t be staying with strangers. We know how to make her feel safe.”

Emma nodded, she knew that what her Mom was saying was true. And there was only one way to find out.  
“I’ll bring it up with Killian and see what he thinks.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Okay, now it’s really time to go to sleep.” Emma told her twins, getting up from Amelia’s bed as she spoke. She’d just spent at least forty minutes telling them stories from before they were born, of the adventures she’d had with their Father. But now her back ached, the dishes were calling her from the table downstairs and she still wanted to have some energy left to talk to her husband.   
“But Mom!” Liam complained, refusing to get off of his sisters bed, wanting more stories. “Please, you didn’t even tell us about the beanstalk!” He added, giving her the best pout he could muster. Amelia however, looked ready to fall asleep.   
“You didn’t ask for the beanstalk story.” Emma argued back playfully, grinning at her son. “Now into your own bed.” She added, gesturing to him.   
Liam wasn’t moving when suddenly Killian’s voice came from the doorway. “I think your Mum just asked you to do something, son.” He said sternly, which caused Liam to jump up from Lydia’s bed and race into his own. Emma smiled victoriously and kissed Amelia’s forehead, stroking her cheek fondly. “Sweet dreams my beautiful girl.” Emma whispered before moving over to Liam’s bed. She passed Killian as he crossed the door to greet his daughter goodnight and Emma sat down on the edge of Liam’s bed.   
“Right then, mister.” She grinned, tucking him in properly. “Have some pretty cool dreams, okay? And then tomorrow we’ll talk all about them and you can hear the beanstalk story once again, deal?” She asked, before kissing the top of his head. Liam nodded happily, wrapping his arms around his Mom’s neck. “I love you Mommy.” He told her softly. Emma smiled and rose to her feet, allowing Killian to slide in and kiss his only son goodnight.   
“Love you two.” She told them, turning the light off and closing the door behind Killian.  
“Please tell me that Lydia is already asleep?” Emma whispered, sighing with relief when Killian nodded. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead on his chest as she spent a moment just resting in his arms. When he started to kiss her, lips moving their way down the side of her face, she finally looked up.   
“Are you trying to seduce me, Captain?” She asked quietly, suspicious little frown on her face. Killian simply smirked in reply, then kissed her again, lips landing somewhere near her ear.   
“Nooooo Killian, i have to clean up from dinner still.” She half-complained, knowing that her resilience against those kind of kisses wasn’t all too strong.   
“I’ve already done it love.” He whispered back, moving to pin her against the wall, lips still roaming along her neck and behind her ear.   
“And the kids toys?” She added, hoping that he’d done all the chores for the night already and that they could they enjoy some time alone together.   
“All put away. And the laundry is folded, the kids lunches are made for school tomorrow and the only thing that needs doing right now, is me. And you.” He told her, leaning back so he could get a good look at her as he spoke. She grinned and let her head fall back against the wall.   
“Have i ever told you that i’m absolutely in love with you?”

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Emma lay against Killian in the bath tub, the one that they’d specifically bought to be big enough to bath all the kids in together, or have adult time alone, without worrying about the water splashing everywhere, or someone getting squished. His arms were wrapped her, his hand intertwined with hers and she felt so happy and content in that moment. Bringing their hands up to her lips, she pressed a kiss to the back of his palm and then held their hands against her chest. “My Mom asked me something today.” She started to say, her voice soft and low, so he could barely hear her.  
“Aye?” He asked in reply, kissing the blonde hair he could reach as she finished speaking. Emma tilted her head up to look at him, smiling up at him. “She offered to take the kids for a weekend. She told me that we should take the Jolly out for the weekend, just the two of us.”  
Killian stayed silent for a moment, before looking down at Emma. “So, where was the question?” He asked with a cheeky smile.   
“It’s more of a ‘would we do it’- type thing Killian. Lydia is still so young, and it makes me anxious to think of her being anxious without us for so long. We haven’t been away from her overnight before.” She told him, turning back to look straight ahead.   
“Swan, i’m not saying that we have to make a decision right now, but all i know is that i would love to spend time alone with you, especially on board the Jolly Roger, and Lydia is happy with your parents, they do a good job with her. We wouldn’t be leaving her forever, it’d be one night, two or three at most.”   
Emma didn’t reply, but lay there thinking about what he’d said, that maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to go away just the two of them. They didn’t get a lot of time alone, and it’d be nice to be together like they’d used to, before children took up nearly all of their spare time.   
She was about to say something along those lines, when she heard a cry come from one of the kids. “I’ll get it.” She said, moving to stand up. Before she could ever sit up however, Killian had her wrapped in his arms. “Just leave them, they’ll calm down. Self soothing, right?” He asked, not really holding her the tightly.   
“You know she’ll just cry until i go.” Emma told him, prying herself free. She took half a second to dry herself with the towel, before putting on Killian’s robe.   
“You know i love you in that.” He called after her before sinking himself further into the water. One of these days, he’d get an uninterrupted, sober night with his wife. Emma couldn’t help but smile as he complimented her as she walked away. He always managed to make her feel good, even now, after years and years of being together. She had thought that the crying was coming from Lydia, so started towards her bedroom first, but detoured upon realising that the muffled cries were coming from the bedroom of her older two kids. Entering Liam and Amelia’s bedroom, she frowned in concern at the sight of Liam sitting in Amelia’s bed, comforting her.   
“She had a bad dream Mommy.” He informed her, his little arm reaching protectively around his sister.   
“Thanks buddy.” She whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed and allowing Amelia to climb onto her lap. Amelia snuggled her face into her Mom’s shoulder, and wrapped her arms around her neck tightly.   
“Can she sleep with you tonight Mommy? I want to go back to sleeping?” Liam asked, looking tired as he climbed back into his own bed. Emma smiled at her son and nodded. “Good boy, you go back to sleep. I’ll take ‘melia.” She whispered, lifting Amelia and carrying her out of the room.   
She carried her into the master bedroom, Killian walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist at the same time.   
“Not the one i expected to see?” He asked curiously, kissing the top of Amelia’s head as he passed the two girls. Emma raised an eyebrow at him in response, sitting down with Amelia and letting her climb into the double bed. “You snuggle in here little one and i’ll get some pyjamas on, then you can have some cuddles with Mommy and Daddy, okay?” She asked, already getting up to follow Killian into their closet to find something to sleep in.  
“Now i’m really glad that i convinced you to have sex before the bath.” Killian whispered, handing his wife an old shirt of his to sleep in. She shushed him, slipping his robe off and pulling the shirt on, then finding some underwear to slip on underneath. When both parents were dressed, they came out of the closet together, sliding into their respective sides of the bed, Amelia in the centre. As the lights were turned off, Amelia snuggled into both of her parents, eyes finally closing now that she wasn’t scared.   
“Love you Amelia, love you Daddy.” Emma said softly into the dark.  
“Love you Daddy, love you Mommy.” Amelia added in quietly.   
“Love you Mommy, love you Amelia.” Killian finished with a smile, kissing the top of his daughter’s head in the dark. And with their arms around their child, both Killian and Emma fell fast asleep, and thoughts of their maybe weekend away far out of their heads.

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The next few weeks passed with out so much as a second thought of Snow’s suggestion. Emma and Killian ran through their daily routines as usual, him alternating days as her deputy, and down at the docks. Since nothing major had happened in Storybrooke for several years, there was no need for her to have Killian by her side for every second of every day. His days at the dock gave them a nice pause from one another too, their marriage had become stronger when they weren’t living in one another back pockets all the time. Now, on days where they spent working hours apart, they actually had something to talk about at the dinner table. And on days when he did work with her, they enjoyed them even more than they had when they spent every day together.   
Killian would wake up first, as usual, try and wake his wife up, with out success, and then he’d get the kids up and ready for their day at school. The twins were only just in kindergarten, while Lydia spent her days at daycare, or with her Grandpa. Emma would always need at least three attempts from Killian to get her up, unless it was for the kids or urgent. He didn’t mind so much, he enjoyed laying on top of her, tickling her, or peppering her cheeks with kisses as she grumbled for more sleep. She’d always eventually get up, and it was usually when he started to tickle her. She’d have to resist the urge to knee him in the groin, but she couldn’t stay mad at him for long, he was only trying to prevent her from being late to work.   
Emma liked eating breakfast as a family, and she usually did it with Lydia sat on her knee, the twins arguing over who was the fastest, or the strongest or the smartest, Killian hovering over them all to make sure they all had what they desired. Emma often had to pull him by his shirt into a seat and tell him to eat. 

On this particular morning, Emma was up, much to her dismay- and was eating breakfast and downing coffee, while Killian got the kids into their coats and rain boots. He was going to drop the twins off at school, and then drop Lydia off with David and Neal, so he and Emma could spend the day at work together.   
Amelia and Liam raced to their mother, then kissed her quickly, only stopping when Emma threw her arms around them and held them close. Amelia giggled, and Liam wiggled, both trying to escape her grasp. When she finally released them, they’d both been quite thoroughly kissed. “Don’t forget to have a fun day, and be good, okay?” Emma called out after them as they skipped out to the car together. Killian quickly jogged Lydia over, allowing her to give her Mama a goodbye kiss too before he lifted her up and carried her out.   
“Be back soon!” He told her just before the front door slammed, leaving her alone with her coffee.

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Lydia had fallen asleep in the car, something she did nearly every time she was left in her car seat for any length of time. He’d left her in the car as he helped the older two out of the vehicle and walked them to the school gates, where Snow was waiting, like she was every morning. “Morning Grandma!” Amelia smiled, wrapping her small arms around Snow’s waist. Liam gave his Dad a hug and then raced off into the playground to meet his friends.   
“Killian, while you’re here- have you and Emma talked about taking that weekend away?” Snow asked, watching Amelia skip across the playground towards a group of other younger girls. Killian’s brow furrowed and he looked confused for a moment. “What weekend? Wait, i think she mentioned it a few weeks ago?” He said, trying to recall their conversation. “Something about the Jolly Roger, and then one of the kids cried and our conversation got cut short. I think she was worried about Lydia?” He said, looking at his Mother-in-law for confirmation.   
“Yeah, that’s it. I was telling her that the two of you deserve a weekend away. David and i can take the kids, Lydia is getting so much better at being away from the two of you now. I think you should really try and convince Emma. David and i would absolutely love to have our Grandchildren for a full weekend.” She told him, finishing just in time for the school bell to ring. “Well, i should go inside, but think about it! And tell Emma that the kids would all be fine. She listens to you more than she listens to me.”  
Killian returned to the car and started to think about the question Emma had brought up so long ago. Maybe they should get out for a weekend alone, they were certainly due some adult time. As he drove the twenty minutes out of town to the Charming’s farm, he thought about all of the things that he and Emma could get up to if they had hours and hours alone. Not many of his thoughts were G-rated, and by the time he pulled up to the farm house, his cheeks were a little blushed. Thankfully, he’d been concentrating on the road ahead of him to think too in depth of his adventures with Emma, so there was no visible evidence of where his mind had just been. Killian carefully lifted his toddler out of her car seat, and she awoke to wrap her arms around his neck, snuggling into him.  
“You’re going to have a fun day with Grandpa and Neal little lass.” He whispered softly, then knocked on the front door.   
“Papa too?” Lydia asked softly, looking from her Dad, to the front door. Killian shook his head. “No, today it’s just the three of you. Papa has to go to work today. But Mommy and Daddy with come and pick you up together a bit later on.”  
Lydia was clearly about to object when her Grandpa opened the door. Neal followed shortly behind, the older boy looking like he’d just woken up. Neal had asked to be homeschooled little over two years ago, and Charming had jumped at the opportunity. Teaching his little Prince in the ways that he himself would have been raised was all he could ask for as a father. And now, Lydia got to spend her days hanging out with her Uncle and her Grandpa, learning from the both of them.  
David gave Lydia a big smile and held his arms out for her. “And how is my little Princess this morning?” He asked.  
“I’m a little sleepy, but doing quite well otherwise.” Killian joked, earning himself a nice glare from his father-in-law. “All her stuff is her back pack as usual. She has had a big breakfast as well, so she’s right on track.”

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When Killian returned home, he expected to see Emma still at the dining table, or at least in the kitchen fixing herself a last minute coffee, but his wife was nowhere to be seen on the lower ground of their house. He took the stairs two by two and stuck his head in each of the kids rooms, thinking that perhaps she’d started to clean up their bedrooms while waiting for him. Yet, their beds were still unmade and pyjamas were still thrown haphazardly on the ground in the rush to get dressed earlier that morning. He frowned, thinking for a moment that maybe she’d left without him, gone to work already? He decided to check their bedroom before calling her to find out exactly where she was. As the bedroom for swung open, he knew he’d found his wife. She’d closed the curtains again, throwing the room back into darkness, and by the lump under the duvet, he could tell that she’d taken herself back to bed. While he was tempted to flick the light on and yank her out of bed, he didn’t want to have to work all day with a grumpy Swan, so he opted for the nice method. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently rubbed circles on her back, while simultaneously pulling the blankets back.   
“Hey, love. It’s time for work. And i see that you’ve gone and made yourself completely comfortable again but there’s work to be done.” He said softly, smirking as she pouted, but stayed silent. “You’re worse than Henry at getting out of bed.” He added cheekily, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Now, either you get up and come to work with me now, or i’m going to spend the whole day when i should be working, at Granny’s talking to her about all the things you say about her food when i cook.”   
Emma sat up straight and looked him dead in the eye. “You wouldn’t dare.”  
“Don’t test me love. Pirate. Remember?” He shot back, a twinkle in his eye. “Ohhhh Killian, your grilled cheese is so much better than Granny’s…your lasagne could put her out of business.” He said, mocking Emma’s voice and American accent.   
“Bastard.” Emma groaned, getting up out of bed. “You could have asked nicely, you know.” She glared at him.   
“We both know that wouldn’t have worked, don’t we.” He replied, smiling at the glare she gave him.  
“Fine.” She sighed, knowing that he was right, she wouldn’t have gotten up out of bed without something drastic pulling her out. 

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Emma and Killian always took their lunch breaks together, deciding that if someone really needed a sheriff or her deputy during their one hour lunch break, then they’d be able to find them in Granny’s or call Emma and they’d take the call. They’d worked on nothing but paperwork so far, and both of them were in dire need of a coffee, and a break. Killian took their usual booth as Emma ordered at the counter for them, then slipped into the booth beside him, leaning into him as he raised his arm to put around her. A long time ago, they’d been hesitant to show any affection towards each other in public, but they’d been together for many, many years now, and neither one of them cared who objected to the showing one another their love. Even if it was Henry, who was very vocal in complaining, or teasing them. Emma pressed a kiss to his temple as they sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. Emma even closed her eyes, the feeling of finally being away from her desk and in the arms of her husband bringing making her calm.  
Killian spoke first, dropping a small kiss to the top of her head, then clearing his throat.   
“So, love.” He started to say, which caused Emma to open her eyes. “Your Mother reminded me of something during the school run this morning. There was that little weekend away that they offered us, are still offering us actually. I was wondering if you’d had any more thoughts about it?”  
“I’ve had many, many, many thoughts about being alone with you Killian.” Emma grinned, but immediately turned beet red as Granny gave her a horrified look, settling the plates of food and mugs of coffee on the table at just the wrong time.   
“Emma Jones….to think that you kiss your mother with that mouth of yours.” Granny scolded, winking at the younger woman. Emma buried her head in her hands as Killian laughed. “You should hear some of the other stuff that mouth has said.” He laughed, grinning proudly at Granny. Granny half shuddered, then walked away, muttering something about how Emma was just a baby in her eyes still. Emma playfully slapped Killian’s chest as she finally looked up from her hands. “That was awful.” She whispered, taking her coffee in hand. “And you didn’t help, at all.” She added, turning to give him a playful glare. Killian simply smirked in response and kissed her forehead. “I could have said ‘think of the things your mouth has done’, but i didn’t, did i?”   
Emma turned to give him a warning glance, but couldn’t help but smile at his cheeky grin. “You’re quite pleased with yourself on that one, aren’t you?” She asked.   
“Yeah, i am actually.” He admitted, taking a bite from her grilled sandwich before stabbing his fork into his own salad.   
“Well, for the record, yes.” Emma told him. “I have thought about going away for the weekend with you. And i think it’s a good idea, we just need to make sure that the kids have some warning about it so we’re not just suddenly ditching them for the weekend. And maybe it’d be easier if we get them to stay at our house? Because then the kids get to sleep in their own beds?” Emma suggested, thinking about how on earth they were going to plan all of this before Winter came and it was too cold to enjoy a weekend away at sea.   
“Relax love, we’ll figure something out. For now though, let’s just sit in the bliss of knowing that very soon, we’ll be enjoying forty eight hours of uninterrupted sex- SLEEP…..i mean sleep.” He grinned, winking at his wife.


	3. Chapter 3

For this chapter, i wanted to go back and explore how Emma found out she was pregnant with Lydia, and her telling Killian, and maybe a little of her pregnancy quirks? I don’t know….i’ll figure it out as i write it! Enjoy!! Oh….and leave a comment if you want any specific things in chapters to come!

 

 

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It was early in the morning, the sun wasn’t even up yet, and Emma and Killian lay in bed together. Killian was spooning Emma, holding her close as they slept, pushed to one side of the bed as their twins took up the other half. They’d demanded to be brought into their parents bed in the middle of the night when Liam woke the whole house up with his crying, and both Emma and Killian had been too tired to argue with them. The only problem being, both Liam and Amelia liked to sleep with all four limbs spread out as wide as possible. Not that Emma and Killian minded being forced to cuddle close, but it’d be nice to have their whole bed to do so with out the fear of getting a foot to the groin. Emma started to slowly stir, the other three inhabitants of the bed still fast asleep. It was then that a wave of sickness hit her, and she started to panic a little. She didn’t want to wake the twins and cause them to be grumpy for the rest of the day, and Killian was flush against her back, and trapping her in. She opted for waking her husband, and frantically tried stirring him awake, the bile already creeping up her throat. She clamped a hand over her mouth and violently pushed him when he took too long to respond. Killian fell out of bed with a start, his face stunned and a little alarmed, but Emma didn’t wait to apologise, or see if he was alright. She jumped out of the bed and ran to their bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time to empty her stomach of last nights dinner into the toilet bowl. A few seconds later and she felt Killian pulling back her hair with one hand, his blunt arm rubbing circles on her back slowly. She was about to thank him, and perhaps apologise for waking him so suddenly and so violently, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she threw up more.   
Her sweet husband simply sat behind her, probably still in shock from being woken so quickly, whispering sweet comforts to her as she emptied her stomach into the toilet, the nausea never ending. When she finally had thrown up all that her body had to give, she groaned and slumped against him, feeling shattered already, and the day hadn’t even started yet. “You feeling a little better?” Killian asked with a whisper, pulling a towel down from the heated rail to wrap around her and warm her a little. Emma shook her head. “God, i haven’t felt like this since…..” She stopped, her voice trailing off, and her blood felt as if it had been turned to ice. “Oh God…” She whispered, half groaning.   
“What love?” Killian asked, still clueless.   
“Killian, i haven’t felt like this since i was pregnant with Amelia and Liam.” She finished, looking up at him. It took him a few moments to fully catch on and then he was grinning at her, unable to hide his joy. “Another baby? You think we made another baby?” He asked, sounding so god damn helpful. Emma nodded against his chest, pulling the towel around her body more.   
“I think that last month when i had that cold and i was taking antibiotics, i forgot that it makes birth control less effective, and that i should have made you cover your guy.” She groaned. “God how could i be so stupid? I just fit back into my normal jeans again…i’m gunna get so fat again.”   
“Love, you had two babes last time, i doubt we’ve made that miracle again. And even if we have, you’ve never been fat, you’ve always been perfectly lovely to me.” Killian assured her with a smile.   
“You have to say that, you’re my husband.” She said, but smiled anyway. He was very sweet. “I think i’m done for this morning.” She said, standing slowly. Emma pulled her toothbrush from it’s holder and began to brush her teeth. “I’ll have to buy a test today and we can take it tomorrow morning.” Emma said through the minty foam as Killian stood close by in case she needed him. Emma had passed out several times while pregnant with the twins, and Emma could see that he was already being overly cautious with her just in case. As she finished cleaning the sick taste from her mouth, Killian held out his hand for her. “Shall i take you back to bed love? I’ll take the young ones out when they wake and you can have a little rest.” He said softly. Emma nodded, wanting to argue, but the queasy feeling in her stomach stopping her from doing so. 

Emma gestured for him to get into bed first this time, she didn’t want to be trapped in the bed between him and the kids again, and once he was laying down, she gladly snuggled into his arms, letting him hold her. “Mhhhmmm…this already feels a lot better.” Emma whispered. “Can we just call my parents and ask them to take the kids for the day and then you can just stay here and cuddle me?” She asked quietly, hoping that he’d say yes. She knew he had plans for the weekend, and none of them involved lazing in bed for all of Saturday, but just staying in his arms made her feel so relaxed and so much better.  
“Well, i did promise your boy i’d take him out on the Jolly, but i’ll call him and push that to tomorrow. I’ll tell him it’ll give him a chance to take his girl on a impromptu date.”   
Emma nodded, already half asleep again, her head against Killian’s chest helping her to settle back into sleep.

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Emma had left Killian alone after the twins went to bed, so she could sneak out to the store and buy a pregnancy test without half the town finding out. When she’d been testing for the twins, she and Killian had actually driven out of Storybrooke to buy a test, not wanting anyone at all to know in the chance that town gossip spread the news before they were ready for it to. The store was quiet when Emma entered, and she headed to the candy aisle first. While she and Killian didn’t allow their kids to eat candy, she herself did enjoy an occasional candy bar or two, but limited herself to when the little ones were in bed. She picked a couple of the ones she knew Killian liked too, so she could share with him, then headed over to grab a couple of different tests. She made it all the way to the counter without running into someone she knew, and even the young boy at the check out looked bored and uninterested in her purchases. She really did think she’d gotten away with it, when she suddenly heard her Mom’s voice.

“Emma! Are you out buying late night candy too?” Her Mom asked, a silly grin spread across her face. Emma couldn’t even react fast enough, the pregnancy tests laying across the checkout counter for all to see. She watched her Mom’s eyes falls upon the candy bars, and then the tests, then back up to Emma, searching for an explanation. 

“I saw sick this morning.” Emma suddenly said. “It’s probably nothing but…”

“But it could be.” Snow said, tears already in her eyes. “I’m so happy for you Emma.” She told her daughter, pulling her into a hug. 

“Mom, it could just be a bug.” She objected into the hug, her cheeks flushing red. 

“A little bug that is my grandchild.” Snow gushed, which led Emma to roll her eyes. 

“I swear, you’re worse than Killian. I’ll talk to you tomorrow Mom- no telling anyone about the tests, okay? You weren’t supposed to know. I’ll call you and let you know the results.” She promised, kissing her Mom on the cheek before grabbing her items and heading out of the store.

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When Emma told Killian about running into her Mom, he laughed. He laughed and she glared and then he stopped laughing. 

“I’m sorry love, but….it’s a little funny, no?” He asked softly. “I mean, you can’t go anywhere in this town without someone knowing and you most certainly cannot go out and think that you’re able to buy something privately without running into at least one person you know.”

Emma knew he was right, and she hated it. She often despised living in a place where everyone knew her business, it was so opposite to how she’d lived the majority of her life. However, she was slowly getting used to it. 

“Can we take this test then?” Killian asked, looking slightly impatient. His face fell as Emma shook her head. 

“You have to take it in the morning.” She told him. “I’ve already peed today and you have to pee on the stick with your first pee of the morning.” Emma added, chucking the tests on the bathroom counter. “So, one more night before we’ll know.” She sighed. 

Killian nodded and then pulled Emma into a hug. “Don’t worry so much.” He whispered into the top of her head. “What will be, will be. And if you’re with child or not, we’ll deal with it the way we always do. Together.” He promised her kindly. Emma let out a breath she didn’t even realise she’d been holding, then looked up at him to smile.   
“You’re a good man Killian.” She stated, wrapping her arms around him properly. “A very, very good man.”

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Emma woke up before Killian again, the nausea hitting her once more. There were no kids in the bed this time, and she lay flat on her back, breathing in and out for several minutes, trying her best to keep down the small amount of dinner she’d been able to handle having last night. She reached out and touched Killian, trying to get him to wake up. He always helped take her mind off how sick she felt when she’d been pregnant with the twins. He stirred slowly, eventually looking over at her with a look of concern. Emma just pulled him by his hand to move closer to her, and he took over the rest. He was careful not to move her around too much, or too quickly but he did wrap his arms around her and pull her into him a little more. He used his hand to rub small, slow circles on her stomach, something that had worked to ease the sickness with the twins, and was doing wonders once again. “Don’t stop.” She whispered, eyes shut as she tried to relax a little. Killian pressed a kiss to her temple and continued his work, adding gentle whispers of random things to take her mind off how sick she was feeling. Half an hour passed and eventually so did her feeling of needing to vomit. Emma sat up in bed slowly, slumping forwards in a dramatic display of exhaustion. “I don’t think i need to take the damn test at this point. I might as well have a sign on my forehead saying ‘pregnant’ because i’m almost one hundred percent certain that i am.” She told Killian, getting out of bed and heading to their bathroom. He followed her anxiously, clearly not wanting to get too excited until Emma showed some excitement. Emma turned around and gave Killian a funny look as he followed her.   
“What are you doing?” She asked him, watching him.

“The test…” He said, looking confused at her confusion, as he pointed to the boxes on the counter. Emma laughed a little and shook her head, then gently pushed him back out into their bedroom. “Nuh-uh mister….you can wait out here. I don’t need you watching me pee. I’ll let you in to wait with me once i’ve peed.” She told him before shutting the door and locking it. Killian simply pouted and leaned against the wall, arms crossed against his chest as he started to wait.

Emma let him in eventually, swinging the door open and then gesturing to the array of sticks that lay on the counter, waiting. He gave her a smile and took her hand, pulling her into him. He hadn’t been here for this part of her pregnancy with the twins. She’d been too scared to tell him she might be pregnant, so she’d taken a test alone. He still didn’t understand exactly how peeing on a stick could tell a woman that she was with child, but he’d learnt to stop asking those kinds of questions, they only led to severe headaches. 

Emma’s phone rang with the timer, telling them that it was time to look at the tests at exactly the same moment that Amelia and Liam walked into their parents bathroom, hands joined together. “Mama, cuddle.” Liam whined, holding his arms out to her. He was a total Mama’s boy and Emma couldn’t say no to him, so bent down and lifted him into her arms. Killian did the same for Amelia, who snuggled into her Dad’s arms.   
“Mama i’m hungry.” Liam complained, playing with Emma’s hair as he spoke. Emma winced at the small fingers pulling her hair, but gave her son a kiss on his cheek. “Okay then little guy, i’ll make you something to eat.” She promised, starting to walk out of the room, her mind totally off the tests. Killian cleared his throat and held up a stick to Emma.   
“Em…” He called out. “It’s positive.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter in which Killian buys their kids a puppy without telling Emma- links into the story of Emma, Killian and their kids that i've been building in this series.

Emma was coming home reasonably late, thanks to a few extra last minute reports that she'd tackled alone, sending Killian home at mid-day to relieve her parents from the children. It wasn't ideal, working the weekend, but it had to be done and at least she knew that tomorrow was Sunday, and the whole family got a day off to spend together.

She heard her children before she made it to the front door, their laughter reaching her ears as she unlatched the front gate. Her mouth twitched upwards into a smile, their obvious joy bringing her joy. Killian was an amazing father, and he never failed to have all of the kids in hysterical laughter. He was probably playing some pirate themed game with them, putting on one of his many accents that the kids adored.

As she unlocked the front door, she totally expected to see that exact scene, the children climbing all over her husband, his story the centre of their happiness. However, what she saw, was not something she'd expected in a million years. It was the least likely scenario in her head actually.

There, in the middle of their lounge sat all the kids, Henry included, which meant he'd come home for the weekend without letting her know (not that she minded one bit). And in the centre of her kids, was her husband, holding a puppy. A dog. Killian had bought a dog. It took Emma several moments to get over the shock of seeing a new addition to the family, moments she fortunately had to herself, since everyone else in the room was so wrapped up in laughing at the puppy licking Killian's face to notice her entrance. As she slowly adjusted to the idea, she watched her kids. The twins looked ecstatic, and for a rare moment, neither one of them was trying to pick a fight with the other. Lydia, her little Lydia, was sitting alone, not clinging to anyone, just watching the puppy with a wide smile. Emma cleared her throat and everyone looked up in shock, an immediate guilty look falling upon everyone's face apart from Lydia's (who was too young to understand) and Liam's (who was too cheeky to care).

"Look Mama, we gots a puppa." Lydia cried out, pointing to the dog in her papa's arms. Emma gave Lydia a small smile and nodded.

"I see you did baby. And who's idea was it, to get a dog without asking?" Emma asked, looking directly at her husband. His face fell, he knew he was in trouble.

"Well, you see love, i was reading on the internet and it was saying how good it is for children to have pets growing up, teaches them all about responsibility and all that, so we went to the pet shop, just to look, i swear, but this little guy was there and he looked so happy to see me, and the kids loved him and well, we just couldn't leave him behind. The children really were quite convincing." Killian rambled, trying to excuse his purchase. Emma flicked a look at Henry and gave him a kind, motherly smile, before kissing him on the forehead.

"It's very lovely to see you Henry, would you mind taking your brother and sisters, and the dog, out into the yard so i can talk to Killian alone please?" She asked, her tone sweet, but threatening. Killian swallowed hard and Henry gave him a 'i told you so' smirk, before chaperoning the kids and the dog out of the room.

"Come on guys, you don't want to see your Dad losing this fight." As soon as they were alone, Emma folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at him. "So? When were you planning on running this one by me?" Emma asked, sounding slightly annoyed. "What happened to the whole 'we're a team' thing that we're supposed to have going on?" She pushed. Killian closed his eyes, looking as guilty as he felt.

"I'm sorry Swan, we just got caught up in the moment. I really didn't think you'd mind, and i'm sorry if you do. The kids have already promised to take care of the creature, and i was reading about how Golden Retrievers do wonders as service dogs. I thought he might help Lydia with her worrying. She'd have someone with her at all times, you know? He can sleep in her room with her and help her feel more secure." He explained.

"You did this for Lydia?" Emma asked, her head tilting to one side. Killian nodded.

"I did. The twins think he's a family dog because i knew if i said it was for Lydia, then they'd want one of their own too and i didn't want to commit to more than one dog. Did you see Lydia's face though? She's already so happy. And she ate all of her lunch too Emma, every last bit of it." Emma couldn't help but smile, and unfolded her arms to wrap around Killian in a hug.

"I'm not cleaning up after that dog Killian, and it's up to you to house train it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Swan-Jones future family dramaaaa

"NO STOP IT OR I'LL TELL MOMMY ON YOU." Was the first thing that Emma and Killian heard that morning, starting their weekend off just the way they wanted it, with the kids arguing. 

"Maybe if we ignore them, they'll figure out how to get along?" Emma groaned, curling into Killian's side, trying to claw onto any last hope she had of falling back asleep. Killian groaned with her at the sound of another shout, the words unintelligible. The door to their bedroom creaked open and the sound of soft footsteps made their way to the edge of the bed. Emma didn't open her eyes, but felt the dog jump up on to the end of the bed, and then the familiar scramble of Lydia trying to climb up the giant mattress. Emma reached out an arm blindly and, feeling Lydia hold on for support, helped to lift her youngest up onto the bed and into her arms for a cuddle.

"At least we have one perfect child that doesn't argue, huh?" She said softly, Lydia curling up and sucking her thumb next to her Mom. "Meli' and Liam punchin'." She said softly, which caused Killian to groan and sit up. "I'll sort them." He told his wife and daughter. "Maybe i'll lock them in a room together until they decide that they're going to get along for a change." He said sarcastically.

As Killian made his way into the hallway, all he had to do was follow the sounds of his eldest children fighting. Walking into their bedroom, he saw Liam sitting on top of his sister, pinning her down and holding her favourite toy out of her reach. He easily picked his son up by the back of his shirt and set him down away from his twin sister. "Liam David Jones, what in the devil are you doing to your sister?" Killian scolded, helping Amelia to her feet. Amelia was crying, and hugged into Killian's side, hiding half her face from her brother.

Liam didn't answer, just stared at his Dad, looking defiant, but a little worried. He knew he was in trouble. "I know you and your sister argue, but that is no excuse to pin a lady down and tease her. And your sister no less." Killian said, his voice raised and his tone stern. "I will not raise you to be a monster to women. You are a gentleman, and your sisters deserve your protection, not to fear you." He added. "Now apologise to your sister and then come with me to tell your mother how naughty you've been."

Liam took a few heavy, frustrated breaths before muttering his apologies to Amelia, who nodded curtly at him, accepting his words. She held onto Killian's hand as they walked the hall to the master bedroom, Liam trudging his way behind them.

 

"Swan, love, Liam has something to tell you." Killian said, entering the bedroom where Emma lay with Lydia and the dog. Killian turned to watch Liam speak, as Emma sat up in bed, waiting to hear what he had to say. Liam licked his lips and looked from his Mother, to his Father, and then back again. "I- I ...." He started to say, clearly thinking about what he wanted to say and how he was to say it. "I hate sisters and i hate daddy." He yelled, before running out of the room in tears. Emma's eyes grew wide and she looked at Killian in shock, who looked just as shocked and confused as she did.

 

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Emma had left Killian with the girls, and went in search of her young son. He was more like her than she realised sometimes, with his tendency to run from his problems, mirroring her own. However, being six, his hide outs were a lot easier to track than her own. In no time at all, she was climbing up the ladder to the tree house Killian and David had built the kids two summers ago.

"Knock knock." Emma said softly, pushing open the trap door and letting herself in. She gave a sad sort of smile at the sight of her boy sitting crossed legged in the middle of the tree house, arms folded, a brilliant pout on his lips. "No Papa's allowed." He grumbled, causing Emma to hide a smile at how cute he was with out meaning to be.

"Don't worry, i left Papa down in the house. It's just me and my best boy up here." She promised, closing the trap door and sitting across from him, mirroring his pose of crossed legs. "So, wanna tell me what's got you feeling so upset my boy?" Emma asked softly, not wanting to push him. However, though he was like his Mother in his need to run away from problems, he was also like his Father, and loved to talk things out when given the right situation. He gave a dramatic sigh and unfolded his arms. "Daddy picks 'Melia's side all the time and he doesn't like me anymore. I want a brother not two stinky sisters." He huffed. Emma smiled kindly and chuckled a little. "Well, you have Henry, he's your brother."

Liam let out another dramatic sigh. "He's like, fifty." He complained. "And he's at school all the time. Or kissing Violet. He never plays pirates with me. Or cars. And he never plays in my treehouse with me." 

"Well," Emma started to say, trying to think. "The dog is a boy?" She said pathetically. "And you have Neal. I know he's your Uncle, but he's more like a brother, or a cousin, you're only a couple years younger than him." She explained. 

"Well i want you to have another baby and make sure it's a boy this time." Liam demanded. "Because i want a brother to play pirates and not cry when we play." 

 

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When Emma told Killian of Liam's demands, it was around the dinner table with her parents, which made all four adults crack up with laughter. "Oh God, he sounds just like Neal. He's also been requesting for a sibling." Snow laughed. 

"It'd be just his luck for me to get pregnant with twins again, only this time have two girls." Emma chuckled. "He wasn't best pleased with my argument of the dog counting as a brother. Apparently brothers don't chew your toys or poop in your bedroom." 

Killian grimaced at the memory of the poop in the room, something he'd been made to clean up since he was the one who bought the damn creature in the first place. "Well Swan, we could always just put the practice in?" He suggested, a cheeky smile on his lips. Emma opened her mouth to reply, but stopped at the sound of her Dad making gagging sounds. Emma laughed and turned to look at her Dad. "Okay there, Mister dramatics. We get it. You're the only one allowed to make dirty jokes at the dinner table, sorry we forgot." She said sarcastically, smiling as her Dad laughed at her. 

Emma loved nights like this. Nights where her parents sat around the dinner table with her and her husband, the kids all bundled up in bed upstairs, Neal having a sleepover with Liam in the treehouse. Nights where they just got to be a family together, no drama, no villains, no emergencies. Just, family fun.

Emma's ears pricked up and her head turned as she heard the sound of small feet pattering down the stairs and she rose to her feet at the sight of Lydia out of bed and looking slightly scared. Emma went immediately to her side and lifted her into her arms. 

"Hey there my little princess, want to come and sit with the grown ups?" Killian called out, stopping Emma from walking upstairs to return the child to bed. 

"Let her stay with us for a while love, we'll take her to bed with us soon." He added. Emma nodded and walked back to her chair, holding Lydia. The little girl rested against her Mama's chest, thumb in her mouth, carefully watching Killian. He smiled at his baby, then turned to Snow. "Honestly, don't rush that whole, third child thing. You think that the others are old enough to handle it, and then they show you that they need more attention than ever. I don't even think i'd be ready for another yet and adding another to our pile of kids would hardly make a difference."

Emma tilted her head to look at him curiously. They hadn't really spoken of this yet, it'd just never come up in conversation. "You don't want another baby?" She asked, not really having an opinion of her own as of yet. Killian shrugged. "Well, we have a baby already Em, this one still takes a lot of time. And if i can't get you on the Jolly alone for one weekend now, what makes you think i'll be able to do it when we reset the youngest age in this house?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Oh god, i totally forgot about that. I keep meaning to find some dates that work for the kids, but every time i try, something comes up."

"At this point babe, nothing is coming up." He insinuated, causing Snow to blush, David to turn red and Emma to slap his chest for being so crude.

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They were lying in bed, her parents long gone home when she finally brought it up again. "You didn't mean what you said earlier at dinner, did you?" She whispered, stroking Lydia's hair gently as she slept next to her. Killian moved his head slightly to look at her in the dark.

"What part love?" He asked back. Emma cleared her throat and stared up at the ceiling, unable to meet his eye. "The part about not being able to get it up. I mean, i know that we've been busy, and the kids spend a lot of time in our bed....and we're both tired a lot more but..." She trailed off, unable to finish. 

"Hey, no, that's not what i meant at all, you still make me feel the same way you did when we first got together Emma. You're still perfect and beautiful and sexy to me. I just meant that we've been meaning to get away for months now, and it's just not happening....it makes me think that you're avoiding going."

 

TBC....


	6. Chapter 6

Emma decided to surprise Killian. He'd been so patient and willing to back off from the idea of a weekend away that she'd decided to surprise him with a night alone. It'd taken some planning, mostly whispering with her Mom when Killian was distracted or playing with the kids. She'd decided that they'd take a baby step, one night, and in town, rather than out at sea where it'd be much harder to reach them in case of an emergency. Since Emma was still adamant that the kids should stay in their own beds, she'd organised with her parents that she'd drop the kids off at their farm after school on Friday, they'd spend the evening there while she and Killian went off for their own night out, and then at bedtime, Snow and David would bring the kids back to their own house to sleep, Neal sleeping in with Liam and her parents in the guest bedroom. Emma had no good memories of the thin mattresses at Granny's, and so she'd booked a room at the inn on the outskirts of town, giving them a slightly more 'holiday' feel to their night away. The next day, they'd take things slow, go for a walk together, something romantic, maybe get a massage or relax in the hot tub and her parents would take all of the kids out for a day at the Storybrooke park. It was a win win situation. Emma felt confident knowing that the kids weren't more than a ten minute drive away if they needed her, and it was still a night away with her husband. Now she just had to tell him of her plans. 

He almost ruined it, unknowingly, that morning. She came downstairs to him getting the kids ready, promising them a trip out on the Jolly Roger that weekend. Emma tried shaking her head at him, attempting to signal for him to stop but he didn't notice, and continued making promises. "Um, maybe next weekend Killian." Emma finally said, causing all three of the kids to look at her with disappointed expressions. Killian looked confused, she never turned down a trip on the Jolly, and she certainly had never told him that he couldn't take the kids out either, even if she wasn't feeling up to it herself. Emma shrugged helplessly, she didn't want the kids finding out about their night out this way, so she just shrugged. "I'm sorry, Mama already had plans for this weekend." She told them, which technically, wasn't a lie. Liam groaned and pouted into his cereal bowl, and Amelia looked close to tears. Lydia however, didn't seem to care, she was too young to notice what had been promised, or what had been taken away. Emma kissed Killian's cheek, hoping that it'd wipe the confused expression off his face. 

She passed him and sat down next to Lydia, lifting the little one's spoon up to her mouth, prompting her to continue eating. Lydia was going through a particularly rough time at the moment, having slowed down on eating all together, so much so that at her last paediatric appointment, she'd lost weight. Lydia shook her head, refusing to take the spoonful from her Mom, which made Emma's stomach tighten into knots. Maybe going away now wasn't what was best for the kids. She got up and went to the fridge, getting out fruits that she knew Lydia loved, planning on making her a smoothie, in the hopes that her baby would drink it and get the calories she needed for the day through it. Liam's eyes went wide at the sight of his Mom making a smoothie and started jumping up and down in his seat.   
"Me too Mama, me too?" He asked, grinning hopefully at her. Emma smiled at her son and nodded, the more people drinking the smoothie, the more encouragement Lydia would have to also drink her. "Yeah sure thing my boy, how about you too Amelia? Would you like a special smoothie?"  
Amelia nodded, her mouth full of food. Killian cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair, reaching out to gently touch the back of Emma's leg. "I'll have too if there's enough, love." He asked politely. Emma smiled at him and nodded. "There's more than enough for you."

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By the time Lydia had drunk enough of her smoothie to satisfy Emma, the twins were ready for school, thanks to Killian.   
"Okay, i'll drop them, you open the station and i'll meet you there. Call me if we get a cal out and i'll meet you there." Emma instructed, ushering the kids out of the door, trying to leave on time for once. She kissed Killian goodbye and then hopped down the stairs of the front house, joining her three kids, who were ready and waiting to walk to school. Emma held Lydia's hand as the older two walked ahead, playing together as they walked. When the school came in sight, Emma called the twins back, and crouched down to their height. "Okay, Mommy has a special surprise for you guys, it's why i said no to going out on the ship this weekend, because Mommy had a special thing already planned." She grinned. The kids looked excited, which encouraged Emma to continue with explaining what was going to happen.  
"When Mommy picks you up from school today, she's going to drop you off with Grandma and Grandad, and then you're going to have a special sleepover with them, they're going to come stay the night at our house and then in the morning, you're off on an adventure with them." She said, trying her best to sound upbeat and excited throughout all of it in the hopes that they would get excited in return.  
Liam nodded and looked at Amelia. "Will Neal come too?" He asked softly, otherwise not sounding too bothered.  
"Yes, Neal will be there too. It'll be you three, Neal and Grandma and Grandad." Emma explained.   
"And Papa and Mama?" Lydia asked quietly, frowning at her Mom.   
"No, Mama and Papa are going to have another sleepover, not at home." Emma answered, holding her breath in anticipation of a meltdown. Lydia really looked as if she may cry for a few moments, before looking to her siblings who both looked like they really could not care less.   
"Okay Mama, school now." Lydia finally said, pulling her Mom by the arm, trying to get her to stand up and keep walking.  
"Right, sorry, school..." Emma said, standing and walking, raising her eyebrows at herself in shock. She'd really expected more of a fight. 

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Once the twins were in kindergarten and Lydia was in daycare, Emma headed to the station where she knew she'd find Killian. 

He smiled at her as she entered, handing her a coffee as she passed his desk. 

"Love, can i ask you something?" He asked, after a few moments of silence passed between them. Emma looked up from her desk and nodded, giving him a small smile. 

"Sure babe, what is it?" 

"This morning, about the Jolly..." He started to say, opening up the topic for conversation. Emma gave an understanding nod and stood up, making her way to his desk, where she sat on the edge, legs nudging his. He leaned back to get a better look at her and waited for her explanation.

"Well. I just didn't want the kids to be sad when you didn't take them." She started to say, her stomach filling with butterflies as she prepared to tell him about the night away she'd planned for them. He'd almost found the new lingerie she'd bought for the occasion, and had actually had to drop her towel and distract him with suddenly being naked in order to get his eyes away from the bag that she knew he'd recognise if he saw it.   
"Swan, when have i ever not followed through for the children?" He asked, sounding so hurt. It broke Emma's heart to think that he was questioning himself because of her, and she sifted to sit in his lap, gently stroking his cheek.   
"No, it's not that at all silly. It's just...i knew you wouldn't have time to take them this weekend, as i've already booked you. My parents are staying at ours tonight, and i have us booked in at the honeymoon suite at the Three Bears Inn." Emma grinned. "So, you see, i didn't want you to tell the kids you'd take them out, when you're actually taking me out instead."  
Killian raised an eyebrow at her and placed his hand on her leg. "I'm doing what now?" He asked, trying his best to hide the smile that was growing on his face.   
"Just you and mean, the woods, an ocean view, a hot tub, the works." She whispered, kissing him.   
"I like this surprise Swan. But i like the thought of you in one of those bikini things you own even more."

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Emma had gone home at lunch to pack a bag for herself and Killian. They didn't need much, but they wanted to make the most of the time they'd have after dropping the kids off, so decided to use lunch as a packing opportunity. It also gave Emma a moment to set up the guest bedroom and to leave a note for her Mom, laying down all of the kids bed time routines to help the night go as smoothly as possible. And then, before she knew it, Killian had walked the kids to the front door of the farm house, and dropped the kids off. Emma had stayed in the car, knowing that it'd be far more difficult for Lydia to say goodbye if she was there. She'd said her goodbyes in the car, then let Killian take them the rest of the way.  
When he returned, she gave him a tight smile and then nodded, beginning to drive.  
"They'll be fine love. They're going to have a lovely meal at your parents house, they'll probably go around and feed all the animals together, you know Lydia loves that and then in no time at all it'll be time for bed and they'll be asleep and we'll be back tomorrow. Easy. Painless. They'll be fine. And more importantly, we'll be fine too. More than fine, i should hope."  
Emma was grateful for his little pep talk, and took his hand to give it a squeeze. "We'll be more than fine, i promise." She winked at him. "And boy am i looking forward to a soak in that private hot tub." She grinned.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a more Snow and David centred chapter, which is new for me, i just thought it'd be cute to add this in as a filler chapter.

Snow woke up first, hearing the gentle knocking on the wall before David did. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the darkness around her before she saw her youngest grandchild standing there, waiting. Snow gave smile and patted the mattress beside her. "Come on up here little one." She whispered, watching Lydia cross the room once permission was granted. Lydia tried her best to climb up, but was too short and had to be given a hand by her grandmother.   
"Gwan-ma....i want Mama." Lydia said softly. "When is Mama home?" She added, looking at Snow with wide eyes. Snow smiled and kissed the top of Lydia's head, feeling for the young girl. She'd never admit this to anyone, but Lydia had a special place in her heart. She loved all of her grandkids, with every part of her but there was something about Lydia. Probably the fact that she was the spitting image of Emma, and so in some ways, Snow was able to heal the part of her that mourned raising Emma. With Lydia, she was still able to imagine sometimes that her baby was still with her, and not raised in another realm, alone.   
"Well, my love, Mama will be home tomorrow. She's out with your Papa, and i'm sure they miss you a lot." Snow assured, stroking blonde locks as she gently pulled Lydia to lay down with her.   
"What Mama doing?" Lydia questioned, moving a hand to stick her thumb in her mouth. Snow raised an eyebrow and let out a breath. She didn't really want to think about what it was that Emma and Killian were getting up to if she were honest.  
"Sleeping." Came the best response she could think of. "And we should be doing that too. In the morning though, Grandpa will make his special pancakes and then we'll play some games, okay?"  
Snow felt Lydia give a nod against her, then the small girl curled up closer to her Grandma. They both fell asleep together, Snow with a wide smile on her lips.

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The light shone through the curtains at a reasonably early hour and David grumbled something about getting blackout curtains for Killian's birthday, making Snow smile, despite the time. Lydia was missing from her side, which meant that at least one of the kids was up and awake, which meant she should be too.   
"Come on, we've got children to look after." She told David, kissing him on the cheek before rolling out of bed. 

It wasn't hard to find the children, all of whom were apparently awake. All Snow did, was follow the sound. Liam was hosting his own dance party in the middle of the hall, boogying away to music from the ipad, while Lydia danced around him, laughing manically. Amelia was sitting at the breakfast bar, trying to pour her own milk into a cereal bowl, evidence of her poor aim lying all over the kitchen bench. There had apparently been a few incidents already, with a spilt juice box on the floor, paints from the craft box on the floor and the lounge looked as if someone had let a bull loose in it. Snow was about to open her mouth to comment, when the dog walked past her, covered in soap suds, wearing a tutu. 

"How the hell do Emma and Killian do this every day?" Snow asked out loud, feeling her husbands presence behind her.   
"Did someone give the dog a bath?" He replied, staring at the scene in front of them, confused. "Also, notice how all of this was achieved without our little prince involved? He's still asleep. This is all pirate."   
Snow half laughed and playfully hit him on the chest. "This is hardly Killian's fault David. This is just what happens when you have multiple children. And Emma did say that they wake early. I guess that Killian is an early riser too, so he's normally awake to prevent a lot of this." She explained.  
David wrapped his arms around his wife and rested his chin on her shoulder. "So, how do we tackle this?" He asked softly, before kissing her ear. Snow smiled, his kiss tickling her slightly.   
"I kind of like it. Did you ever think that we'd get here? Back when Emma was born, this all seemed so out of reach and now look at us, babysitting for our grandchildren."   
David knew his wife was a little soppy, but he smiled none the less. "Well, i definitely did not expect my Princess to marry a pirate and make pirate children. One of whom is currently attempting to ride the dog." He laughed, breaking away from Snow just in time to lift Liam away from the poor dog.   
"Son, you know that dogs are not for riding. We ride horses, not hounds." David laughed, tipping his grandson upside down. The laughter that filled the room, caught Lydia and Amelia's attention and soon David had the girls badgering him for their turn at being held upside down.  
Snow chuckled and left her husband to take control of the grandkids while she started to clean up a little from the morning adventures they'd missed, still thinking to herself that she'd have to congratulate Emma and Killian on how well they seemed to manage with three slightly wild children. Snow had also noted how Lydia came into their bedroom in the night, something Emma said happened often. She couldn't imagine having interrupted sleep most nights for years on end, it was a wonder that Emma hadn't gone mad already. Snow was glad that her daughter had gone away for a relaxing night, even if it was only for twenty four hours, she sure as hell had earned it.

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While Snow and David struggled with four kids, Emma and Killian struggled to keep their hands off one another. One moment they were just relaxing, doing something mundane and mindless, the next they were making out like teenagers, taking full advantage of the alone time they'd been granted. At several points over the evening, Killian had stopped to remind Emma that she was the best wife ever, and that this was the best night ever. Each time, Emma just giggled, and shushed him, going back in for more kisses.   
It was an hour until they had to leave, the kids would no doubt already be waiting by the door, ready to greet their Mom and Dad after so long apart (Emma could have done with longer, if she was honest with herself). They were both sat in the hot tub, looking out at the ocean views. Killian held Emma in his arms as they soaked and relaxed, her head rested against his chest, hand intertwined with his and his blunted arm was wrapped around her bare waist.   
"We should get one of these Swan." Killian hummed into her ear. Emma smiled in reply and stayed silent for a few moments, thinking about getting a hot tub at home and if it'd really be put to use.   
"You know it'd just sit there, we'd never have time for it and even if we did, there'd be three children trying to claw their way in too, and that bloody dog of yours would sit at the edge whining to also be let in." Emma teased, squeezing his hand. Killian kissed her temple in agreement, staring out at the waves.   
"We could always keep coming back here then." He added as an off hand comment.  
"Or get a hot tub installed on the Jolly." Emma joked back. "Or just keep this as a regular get away spot." She added, a little more serious this time.   
"Are you already thinking about next time?" He asked her.  
Emma sat up and turned to face him, cupping his cheeks with her hands. "I'm always thinking about the next time i can steal you away Killian. I love being a Mom, and i love my job, but i loved you before all of that. I love you, and i never want us to lose the spark between us, even if it slows down a little while the kids are still young."  
Killian watched her for a few seconds before pushing forwards to kiss her, his arms pulling her closer to him.   
"Who says it has to slow down? We just need to be sneaky. And lucky for you, you married a pirate. I'm a professional at being sneaky." 

 

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A few months later, and Emma and Killian were still on a high from their twenty fours hours away. Emma had agreed to take a longer break on the Jolly once the kids got out from school for summer, that way it'd be easier for her parents to watch them. Henry had agreed to come home in his semester break from University too, and would take the kids in order to give Snow and David a break. Even Granny had asked if she could watch the Jones children one afternoon. It seemed that once word got around that Emma and Killian were in desire of some babysitters, the whole town was ready to help out. The perks of saving everyone's ass multiple times, as Killian liked to tell Emma.   
Killian was in his study, planning the trip they were to take, when Emma slipped in and shut the door behind her. It was early, and a Sunday, so he was rather surprised to see her awake, especially since the kids were all still asleep. He titled his head to one side and gave her a curious smile. "Good morning my love. Did you not wish to sleep in more?" He asked, leaning back in his chair as she approached him.  
"Well, i couldn't really sleep...." She admitted, perching on the edge of his desk. He looked a fraction concerned and reached out to rub her thigh affectionately.   
"I'm sorry, did i stir you when i rose?" He asked. "I didn't mean to wake you."  
"It wasn't you Killian....i actually set an alarm." She admitted, which truly baffled him. She looked down at his trip plans, and picked up a piece of paper.   
"I think we should take this trip as soon as they finish the school year." Emma told him, despite having previously told him to plan for the end of summer.   
Killian took the paper from her and looked thoroughly confused. "Swan, i've been planning for weeks now, i have all of the tidal charts planned....why the start of summer? You told me the end of summer not long ago."  
"I know i did and i'm sorry. I just, i've been thinking about it and summer is a long time. They get two months off and by that time i don't know if i'll be up for spending days on the ocean." She admitted.  
Killian looked hurt and like he was about to say something, when Emma pulled a small stick out from her back pocket.   
"I'll be six months pregnant by the time they finish school Killian. If we wait until the end of summer, i'll be eight months and about to burst." She told him with a grin. Killian took the pregnancy stick from her with shaking hands, in total shock.   
"Wait, we made a baby? You're pregnant?" He asked, looking up at her for confirmation. Emma simply nodded, tears in her eyes. "I told you hot tub sex was a bad idea." She joked.  
Killian stood up and lifted Emma into his arms, holding her tight against him.   
"And i told you we should get a hot tub for the house."


	8. Chapter 8

Leo Henry Jones was born a healthy six pounds, Emma's smallest baby to date. He had a healthy set of lungs on him, was born with a tuft of dark hair, and bright blue eyes that mirrored those of his Papa. Emma had been so overwhelmed with love at the sight of him, she'd hardly noticed the tears that fell down Killian's cheeks as he cut the umbilical cord. After only two days in the hospital, Emma and Leo were allowed home, and were inundated with support from the entire town. Emma's parents had stayed away, allowing Emma and Killian time with their new babe, while they watched the older Jones children at the farm.   
In fact, the only people that had met the newest Jones baby by the time Emma and Killian pulled up outside the house, were his parents and the doctors and nurses who were at the hospital.   
Killian helped Emma out of the car first, giving her a hand to stand up, careful not to rush her or be too rough. Next, he opened the back door of the car and released his son's carseat from it's attachment, bringing his carseat out to bring inside. "Look Swan, the little lad is waking up just in time to meet his family." Killian said proudly, looking down at his new son. Emma smiled and nodded, fixing the baby's blanket quickly, pulling it away from his face before he got too fussy. "Let's go introduce him to the rest of the crew." Emma said softly, walking slowly up the path to the house. She laughed slightly at the sight of the three kids pressed against the window, hands and noses pressed right up against the glass. She waved at them, then waited for Killian when they reached the bottom of the stairs, using the strength of his spare arm to aid her up the steps.   
The front door opened before they reached the top and her Mom looked fit to burst. "Oh Emma he's gorgeous." She said, a grin exploding over her face. Emma made her way inside and sat down, the kids running to her for a cuddle before watching their Dad and the new baby expectantly.   
Snow was already lifting her newest Grandson from his carseat, David standing by her side, both looking at the newborn with looks of pure adoration.   
"I'm so happy I have a brother finally." Liam said, clapping happily.   
"Excuse me, what am I? Chopped liver?" Henry asked, poking his younger brother in the ribs playfully. Liam simply giggled and poked his tongue out. "You're an old stinky adult brother. This brother can play games with me."  
Killian lifted Liam up and kissed his cheek. "Both your brothers are great my boy, Henry however, can play with you now. Your new brother is going to be a baby for a while still, and baby's can't play games." He said, which caused Liam to pout slightly. 

"He's so tiny Emma. God, he's so precious." Snow breathed, kissing her grandson.   
"What did you call him?" David asked, offering his finger up for Leo to hold onto. Killian looked at Emma quickly, checking to see if she wanted to announce the name of if he could. With a nod towards him, he knew he was in the clear to go ahead and so he cleared his throat. They'd kept the name on the down low. They'd not even found out the gender this time, wanting to keep it a surprise till the very end. The only news they's released when he had been born, was a quick photo text, announcing that it was a boy.   
"Well, everyone. We thought long and hard about this name, because we already have two strong boys in the family. Obviously, Henry and Liam David, both named after those before them, which made us want to follow in that way of thinking for the new baby. So, let me introduce you to Leo Henry Jones. Named after his great-grandfather, and his brother."  
There was a silence as everyone in the room processed the name announcement, Snow crying at the news. Henry looked shocked, and proud.   
"Thank you..." He eventually said, trying his best to maintain composure. 

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A few hours later and several guests later, the Jones family finally had the house to themselves. Emma was napping with Leo, both of them wiped out from the exhaustion of meeting everyone. Henry had returned to his other mother's house for the night, promising to come back in the morning when everyone was a bit more rested.   
That left Killian alone with Lydia, Liam and Amelia. He was catching up on all they'd done in the past couple of days while he cooked them dinner. Lydia was speaking, telling him all about the game she'd played at the park with Neal, and how she'd tripped over and cut her knee.   
"I didn't cry Papa." The three year old said proudly, which caused her older sister to scoff. "You did too!" Amelia claimed. "You cried like a baby and wanted Mama and Grandpa had to buy you two ice creams before you shut up." The twins were now seven, and sassier than ever. Lydia looked like she may cry, so Killian gave Amelia a stern look.   
"Amelia Margaret Jones." He warned. "Don't wind her up."   
Amelia glared at her Dad, but said no more, continuing to draw her picture. 

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The kids sat at the dinner table, watching Killian serve them their dinner, when Emma entered the room. She was carrying Leo, feeding him as she walked. She took her seat and smiled sleepily at Killian. "He's quite the eater." Emma commented, shifting the way she was holding him to allow her a free hand to eat herself. Killian looked proud and kissed the top of Emma's head as he passed her, serving her a plate of food.   
"Was I good at eating too Mama?" Liam asked, looking at his Mom for approval. Emma chuckled and nodded. "All my babies were great eaters." She told him, which made him look thrilled.   
Lydia slipped down from her seat and went to Emma's side, trying to pull herself onto her lap. "Mama cuddle me." She demanded, a whine to her voice.   
"After dinner sweetie. Mama needs to feed Leo right now, so you go back and sit at your seat like a big girl and eat your dinner please." Emma told her daughter, kindly, but firmly. Lydia however, was not happy with being told that she wasn't allowed to sit on her Mom's knee. Emma and Killian had known that it may be a struggle for their youngest to adjust to not being the centre of attention anymore, but Emma hadn't expected it to be brought up so soon after bringing the new baby home. Lydia stomped her foot and began to cry, a noise that startled Leo, and caused him to stop feeding, and cry.   
"Lydia, you scared your baby brother." Emma said, sounding stressed out. Killian stepped in and took Leo from Emma, shushing him as his wife dealt with their crying toddler. Emma took both of Lydia's hands and tried to look her in the eyes.  
"You need to take a breath, and calm down my love." Emma said, her tone calming a little. "If you don't let me feed Leo, then he's going to cry, and Mama's going to have to take him back to my bedroom and I won't be able to spend time with you tonight. But if you let me feed him, and you sit up like a big girl and eat your dinner, then he'll go back to sleep and then I'll be free to give you all the cuddles you want."   
Lydia took a few breaths and slowly began to calm herself down, wrapping her arms around her Mama in a hug. Emma kissed Lydia's cheek and then helped her climb back up into her own chair, then handed her the knife and fork to start eating.   
"There you go my special big girl, i wanna see you eat that all up for me, okay?"  
Lydia nodded as Emma sat back down, Killian handing Leo back over. Emma lifted her shirt once more and continued to feed the babe, who settled once he was back with his Mama and being fed.  
Amelia and Liam had already started their meal, not minding about their younger siblings tears. In fact, by the time Killian sat down to start his own food, they'd finished eating.   
"Can Mama give us our bath tonight Papa?" Liam asked, looking directly at his Dad. Killian looked at Emma, who nodded, so Killian nodded at Liam. "Your Mummy will feed your brother, and then i'll take him to bed, and Mummy can spend some time with you little ones, okay? But you have to be gentle with her, Mummy's tummy will still be sore from having Leo."

CS CS CS CS CS CS

Emma took a little longer than usual to put the kids to bed, spending at least half an hour with each child, letting them talk as much as they desired, cuddle her as much as they wanted, and kissing them all the kisses they'd missed out on while she'd been in hospital. When they were finally asleep, Emma dragged herself to her own bedroom, where Killian was. He was lying on the bed, bare chested, Leo asleep in only his diaper, laying skin to skin with his Papa. Emma couldn't help but smile at the sight, and started to get changed for bed. "I am so freaking exhausted." She announced from the closet, using one of her husbands shirts as a pyjama shirt.   
"Come to bed love, sleep while the lad is sleeping." She heard Killian say softly.  
When she slid into bed next to him, he lifted an arm for her to slot into his side, an invitation she took willingly. Resting her head against his shoulder, she watched their baby sleeping. "I didn't think it was possible to love anymore." She said softly. "I thought that I'd hit the capacity on how many people I could love, with you and the kids." Emma admitted, still staring at Leo. "And yet, here I am, totally and utter in love with another human. A human that we created together. And he makes me realise that there's no limit on my love. I would love a hundred Leo's." She murmured, her eyes falling heavier and heavier.   
"That's being a good Mummy love, now sleep, please."

CS CS CS CS CS 

Emma only slept a few hours before Leo woke up for a feed. Killian must have managed to sneak out of the bed and place their baby into the crib without stirring her, as she had no relocation of him moving her, or waking her to move the baby. She sat up, a little bleary eyed and confused as she lifted her infant from the bassinet beside her mattress, and into the bed with her. She attached him to her breast and let him feed, leaning back into the pillows as she did so. Her eyes closed momentarily as he settled, getting into the feeding rhythm easily. Killian hadn't stirred initially, but now was raising his head up from his pillow, looking at her through tired eyes.   
"What can i do love?" He asked, wanting to help his already exhausted wife. Emma simply shook her head and stroked a hand through his hair and across his cheek.   
"Sleep. I've got this...He just wants the boob."   
"Smart kid." Killian yawned, rolling over and sleeping once again. Emma laughed silently, and if she'd have had the energy, she probably would have rolled her eyes. However, she was fresh out of energy, and so she finished feeding her son, waiting till he was really sleeping before she pulled him from the nipple, then rested him back in his bassinet. She herself was in some desperate need of sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

When Emma woke the next day, she felt like she'd been hit by a truck. Leo had woken three times in the night for feeding, and each time, they'd both struggled to get back to sleep. He was finally settled now, sleeping against his Mama's chest, her hand on his back. Killian was already awake, reading next to her and he gave her a smile as she opened her eyes.   
"Babe, can you take the kids out today? Or do a movie day? I don't know if i'm getting out of this bed today." Emma groaned. Killian nodded and looked at his wife with a degree of concern.   
"Are you feeling okay? Or is it just exhaustion?" He asked, wanting to know if he needed to be concerned, or just let her sleep.   
"I just need to catch up on some sleep." She assured him. "He's a good baby, but we just need to get into a routine and I need to sleep." Emma told him, kissing the top of her sleeping baby's head.   
"You rest, call me if you need anything. I'll sort the hooligans out, we'll spend the day on the Jolly. She needs some attention." 

CS CS CS CS CS 

Emma loved all of her kids, but it was so lovely to have a day with her newest baby, just the two of them, loving him, kissing him, holding him. He was all hers and nothing made her happier than one on one time with her kids. She spent most of the day in bed, sleeping while Leo slept, feeding him when he needed, and snuggling him when he was happy to just lay in her arms. It was about three in the afternoon by the time she actually pulled herself from the bed, Leo still sleeping in his crib. She dragged his small bassinet into the bathroom, careful not to stir him, then ran herself a bath, planning on soaking for an hour or so, still able to make sure he was okay.   
When she had finished her bath and got into some more comfy clothes, Leo was just waking up. She fed him and when he was full and burped, she heard a knock at the door.   
Answering it, she smiled at the sight of her Mom, who looked hopeful. "I'm sorry if I woke you...Killian told us you were having a rest day, but I wanted to come and drop off some home cooked meals so the two of you don't have to worry about that for the next few days." Emma opened the door wider for her Mom and signalled for her to come in. "No, please, we've been awake for a while. He's all fed and burped and ready for Grandma cuddles." She told her Mom, which caused a giant smile to grow on Snow's face.   
"Oh goody." She exclaimed, setting the large dishes of food down on the kitchen island, then taking her grandson from Emma.   
Emma let her Mom snuggle the baby, taking a moment to see what food she'd brought over. Opening the lid to the lasagne, she was glad to see that it was still warm. Emma didn't hesitate to pull a fork from the drawer and start eating some.   
"Thanks for this Mom." She said, swallowing a large mouthful. "I feel like all i've eaten this past week has been crap, or hospital food."  
Snow smiled at her daughter and then looked back down at Leo. "Well, you need to keep your strength up, for this little one, and good food will help with that. He's so cute Emma, he really does look like Killian, doesn't he?" She commented, stroking the little baby's cheeks.  
Emma moved to stand beside her Mom, looking at her newborn. "Yeah, he does, I hope his eyes stay that blue. All his kids had his eyes to start with, and it'd be nice to have a mini-Killian since Lydia looks like me and the twins look a lot like you and Dad."  
"Especially Liam." Snow commented. "While you were in the hospital it really struck me how those two are alike. They have the same colouring, and the same way of smiling. I think he'll grow up to look just like David."  
"And this little boy will look just like his Daddy." Emma cooed at Leo.  
"I love his name Emma, thank you so much. Your Grandfather would have been so thrilled. He would have loved you, and your family." Snow said, a hint of sadness in her tone. Emma gave her Mom a hug, careful not to squish Leo. "I'm just sorry that you didn't get more time with them. I hope we didn't steal the name from you, Killian and I weren't sure if you'd want to use the name if you had another boy at some point?" Emma said.  
"Oh Emma, don't worry about your Father and I." Snow insisted. "We're having a girl anyway."  
Snow watched Emma's face change expression as the reality of what had just been said hit her. "Wait, Mom, are you telling me that you're pregnant?" Emma asked, her mouth practically dropping open in shock.  
"I am. We found out a few days ago and you were going into labour, we wanted the focus to be on you and Leo, not us. But seeing him makes me so excited to have a newborn again. And another girl this round! You'll have a sister."


	10. Chapter 10

Emma never pictured herself as a mini van Mom, but with her parents both in bed with the flu, and Killian sick at home in their own bed, it was up to Emma to drop all the kids off at school and to then watch the youngest two members of the Swan-Jones-Charming clan, and for that, she needed a mini-van. Emma and Killian shared the vehicle with Snow and David, who ever had the majority of the kids using it to ferry the young ones around town. So there Emma was, driving a mini-van filled with thirteen year old Neal, the twins who were almost eleven, six year old Lydia, three year old Leo and her baby sister Ruth, who was nearly three. Six children in a mini van with one adult meant that the noise was deafening, all six children talking about something trivial. Emma simply drove to the reserved car park outside the middle school and allowed Neal the sweet release of escape.   
"Thanks Em!" He called as he shut the van door, waving his sister goodbye. Emma waved in return before starting the engine again, heading towards the elementary school where she'd drop the majority of her kids off. Once there, she got out of the car and helped the twins and Lydia out, making sure they all had their lunch boxes, backpacks and raincoats. Emma knelt down and gave them all hugs and kisses, only Liam fighting her off out of embarrassment.   
"I gave birth to you kid! You can't be embarrassed of me yet." Emma called out as her son escaped across the playground. Amelia and Lydia hung onto their Mom however, wanting more hugs and more kisses before the would run off and meet their friends.  
"Have a lovely day, both of you. Look after each other and be kind to everyone. And learn lots." Emma told them, grinning at her daughters proudly.   
Amelia was the first to run along to meet her friends, Lydia holding onto her Mom'a hand tightly. She'd only been going to school for a couple of weeks and she still got nervous if she couldn't see her friends right away. Emma pointed across the playground to a bunch of young girls sitting on the grass, playing with each others hair. "There's Lucy and Annabella, and Darcy's started school today baby." Emma said, sounding excited for her daughter. "You can play with her like you did when you were in daycare together." Emma prompted. Lydia grinned and began to jump up and down excitedly. "Darcy! Darcy! Darcy!" She cried out before kissing her Mom and racing across to her friends. Emma leaned against the van and smiled to herself as she watched Lydia run to the other little girls. She couldn't help but laugh with joy at the sight of Darcy and Lydia hugging each other, then hugging the other girls in the group. She was so happy that Lydia had adjusted to school so well, even after all of Emma's nerves over it.

When she got back into the van, it was a lot quieter, with Leo and Ruth chatting away to each other. They had their own baby language still, since they'd grown up so close in age, with Leo only seven months older than Ruth. From the sounds of things, he was getting bossed around by his younger Aunt, much to his frustration.   
"Hey Leo Lion, shall we take Ruthie to our special park?" She asked, looking at her youngest through the rear view mirror. Leo nodded excitedly, clapping his hands together. Emma grinned and winked at him, starting the car. She like days where the station was closed and she got to look after her little boy, and having her baby sister along for the ride was always fun too. They usually started at the park, then made their way to feed the ducks, finishing off with ice cream in time for their mid day naps. Snow often joined Emma on days like this, teaching only part time since Ruth had been born. It was even nicer when Killian joined her and it was just her, Killian and their baby Leo.   
When they reached the park, Emma hopped out of the van and unbuckled both kids. Leo of course, wanted to be held, being such a Momma's boy. Emma allowed him to indulge in some cuddles as she walked Ruth to the park gate. Once they were all safely inside the gated area, she pressed a kiss to Leo's cheek, then set him down on the ground.   
"What shall we play on first then?" She asked, letting the kids lead her to the play equipment. Ruthie ran, her little legs racing towards the slide, excitement showing. Leo held onto his Mom's hand, pulling her after his Aunt. "Slide Mama." He told her, pointing to the giant structure.   
"You brave brave boy." Emma grinned, helping the two toddlers climb the stairs to the very top. There weren't many kids at the playground that morning, with only one other parent there with her small daughter. It was always quieter right after drop off time, which is why Emma liked it. She got stopped too much if it was busier, with parents wanting to thank her for the work she or her family had done to save theirs in the past. It was nicer when it was empty and Emma could focus on being a Mom, rather than the Saviour.   
When they reached the top of the slide, both Ruth and Leo turned to look at Emma, waiting for her to sit down so they could sit on her knee. "You don't want to go down alone?" She asked, trying to help them sit alone. Ruth shook her head, looking panicked and Leo clawed at his Mom, desperately trying to hold onto her.   
"Okay, okay, okay." She soothed, lifting them both to sit in her arms. "I got you." She assured them before setting off down the winding slide.  
They made her do that ten times in a row before one of them got bored and decided that the swings would be more fun. It was less exhausting for her once they were sat in the swings, just having to stand there and push, catching little feet to cause laughter a lot less work than climbing up a flight of stairs ten times.   
Leo loved swings, and could not stop laughing his head off, which caused Ruth and Emma to laugh in turn. Emma pulled out her phone and filmed a quick video of the two giggling like mad before sending it to her parents and Killian. 

When they finally reached the duck pond, both kids were clearly almost ready for their naps. They'd played for a solid two hours and both were exhausted. Ruth had asked to be carried, and the second Emma had lifted her sister up, Leo had started to cry, jealous and wanting his Mom's attention. Emma ended up carrying both of them around to the ducks, and only Ruth was momentarily distracted by the animals. Leo stayed in his Mom's arms, little hands clasped together behind Emma's neck, his head resting on her shoulder. Emma just swayed with him calmly, rubbing his back as she watched Ruth throw bread at the birds. By the time she herded Ruthie back to the van, Leo was dead asleep in her arms. She managed to slip him into his car seat without waking him and then helped Ruth into hers. Since Leo was already asleep and Ruth was falling asleep in her seat, Emma decided to skip the usual ice cream stop, heading home instead. 

She set them both down to sleep in Leo's bed, the toddlers rolling over in their sleep to cuddle into one another and Emma thanked the Gods that they were both deep sleepers. She then popped into her own bedroom to check on her sick husband, who had been buried under tissues and hot water bottles for a couple of days already.   
"Hey handsome." She said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and running a hand through his hair. He still felt warm, but not as feverish as he'd felt the day before. "I think someone is getting better." Emma grinned, pressing a kiss to his temple.   
Killian groaned and took ahold of her hand, closing his eyes and trying to cuddle her.   
"Swan, I told you...I'd heal a lot faster if you just lay with me. Your head scratches do wonders." He told him, guiding her hand to his scalp. She laughed, but obliged, massaging her fingers through his hair, running along his scalp.  
"How about I go make you some lunch? Leo and Ruth are napping and if they stay asleep, I'll come keep you company while you eat." She promised. Killian nodded, liking the sound of some food, and his wife.  
Emma left him to fall back asleep, heading down stairs to make some soup. It wasn't hard and didn't take too long, she wasn't exactly Martha Stewart after all but it did taste good and with some warmed bread, it'd go down a treat for both Killian and the kids, when they woke up in a couple of hours. She returned to her husbands side, flicking a movie on, the large TV she'd hooked up in their bedroom coming in handy on days like this.Emma sat on top of the duvet beside Killian and handed him his bowl once he had sat up. "There you go my sick little pirate baby." She grinned, kissing his cheek.   
Killian took the bowl from her and then leaned into her, using her body as his pillow as he began to eat his lunch. That's how they sat for the next half an hour, Emma running her hand through his hair as he ate slowly, both of them watching the film that she'd put on for them. When he finished his soup and moved to place the empty bowl on his bedside table, Emma kissed his temple. "I love you." She told him softly, eyes still focused on the movie.  
"I love you more." He responded."Remember those good old days when we'd spend the day in bed making love, and now we're in bed because one of our children got me sick and we still have two little ones asleep in the other room." Killian half asked, half stated. Emma couldn't help but laugh.  
"How the mighty do fall." She whispered, kissing him once more before getting up from the bed. "Speaking of those children, I should wake them up for some lunch so I can take them back out and tire them out for tonight." She told him. Killian pouted at the news that she was leaving him, holding out his hand pathetically. All he wanted when he was ill was his Swan to hold him. He used to get that luxury, back when the kids were babies, or when they didn't have kids at all. But now, things were much, much different. Emma had responsibilities, as did he and they didn't always involved laying around for hours on end. A lot of the time they involved running the children somewhere, or fixing them food, or another demand the young ones placed on them.   
"I'll cuddle you all night tonight, i promise." Emma swore, moving forward to give Killian one more kiss. "And i swear to God if you get me sick...."


	11. Chapter 11

Emma could not remember a time when she didn't have a child making his or her way into the master bedroom at some point in the early hours of the morning. It was a habit of her children's that she was loathe to tell them off for, accepting the fact that at around five, sometimes earlier, she'd have tiny cold feet pressing against her legs and small hands gripping at her shirt. It was their own fault really, the twins had only been toddlers when Lydia was born, and then the same happened again when she fell pregnant with Leo. After he'd been born, there were some nights where Emma couldn't even reach her husband for the two young ones laying between them. Lydia had grown out of her parents bed habit, and only stopped by on the occasional Sunday morning to laze around but Leo was in the middle of his most demanding phase yet. He was old enough to get himself out of bed, and was able to walk along the corridors and into his parents bedroom, but wasn't yet old enough or tall enough to pull himself up onto the mattress, so he'd typically stand and cry until someone lifted him. Thankfully for Emma, her little Leo Lion had a penchant for his Daddy, nine times out of ten going to Killian's side to be lifted, rather than her own. It made things easier for her, being able to mostly ignore the extra presence in her bed. Until, that is, he decides that Daddy isn't cuddly enough and he's all elbows and knees trying to crawl over Killian and into her arms.   
That morning, Leo had made his way into her bed at an astonishingly early hour, to the point where she herself had barely hit the pillow before he was swinging the door open and shuffling in. He also wanted her that particular time, kicking Killian out of the way in favour for Mama cuddles. She tried to fall asleep with him in her arms, but he was a wriggler, and unlike Lydia who had been the easiest toddler to sleep next to, Leo liked to move what felt like, every two seconds.   
By the time the sun was up, so was Emma. Killian, the lucky bastard, had slept soundly all night, despite the feet digging into his lower spine all night. Something about sleeping on board ships with cabin mates probably.   
When Killian woke up, Emma was already showered and dressed, hair up in a messy bun, reading glasses on as she attempted to get through some work on her laptop before all the children woke up. Killian kissed the top of her head as he past her, Emma barely looking up to greet him she was so immersed in her work. In fact, he had to ask her the same question three times before she finally raised her head, a look of confusion on her face as she asked him to repeat himself. He gave her a small sigh, smiling at how cute she looked in glasses. "I was asking you if you'd eaten yet, and if not, can i get you something?" He said patiently, watching her eyes drifting back to the computer screen before he was even done with his question.   
"Emma, hey? I'm talking to you." He asked, sounding only a fraction frustrated. Emma let out a sigh, frustrated at herself for not listening and she placed her laptop to the side, fully focusing on her husband. "I'm sorry Killian, I'm just swamped with work and your son kept me up all night." Killian smirked at her placing ownership of Leo on him, something she only did when they boy was a hassle. "I haven't eaten, and I don't really feel like doing so unless you've hidden pop tarts from me." She grinned. There had almost been a meltdown this morning when Emma had woken up (had she really woken up if she'd hardly had any sleep in the first place?) and found that someone (Henry, god damn him) had eaten the last pop tart and not replaced it or let her know so she could buy more.  
"Not even a coffee and a bear claw?" He asked, opening the top cupboard and pulling out a packet of pastries he'd clearly hidden there when no one was looking.  
"See, I knew there was a reason that my love for you is so true." She grinned, holding out a hand to him. As soon as he took hers, she pulled him close, resting her head against him and kissing his hand.   
"I love the affection you give me when i bring you food." Killian teased, bending down and kissing him properly before handing her a bear claw.   
"I'm a simple gal babe. Easy to please. Pleased to be easy." She commented, promptly stuffing a mouthful of bear claw between her teeth. She wiggled her eyebrows at Killian, causing him to chuckle as she chewed. By the time she'd swallowed, he'd finished making her a coffee, and she was able to wash it down with the hot liquid.   
"I have to go into work today, I think that there's simply too much to get done for me to be effective here." Emma told him finally. "Are you okay to have the kids today? I can call my Mom if you need a day on the Jolly?" She asked, standing up and closing her laptop.   
"No Swan, I'll be more than okay with the children. I feel like I haven't had any one on one time with them in a while so it'll be a nice chance to catch up with them." Killian assured her. "There's only one thing I love more than time with my wife, and that's time with our babes."  
Emma's lips twitched upwards, a smile she was attempting to hide in order to jest with him. "Are you saying that you prefer the kids to me?" She asked, pretending to be hurt. "And here i was, thinking that the sex was pretty good." She teased. "Guess i need to stop trying now if i'm not your favourite by now."   
Emma gave him no time reply, standing up quickly instead, already halfway towards the stairs before he ran after her and grabbed her round the waist, pulling their hips together. "Oh...no no no." He chastised. "That's hardly fair. I think we make quite the team in the bedroom, it'd be a shame to stop now after so many good years." He teased, joining in on her game. "You'll always be my number one, but the kids have to at least think that i like them." He grinned, head bending down to press a kiss against her lips. It took her a few seconds to join in, before they were both wrapped around one another, kissing the other as if their life depended on it.   
"You could keep that kind of thing to your bedroom you know." Came the sound of their disgusted daughter, Amelia. Apparently the preteen had come down early to fetch something, and had walking right into the show her parents were putting on at the bottom of the stairs.   
"If i could guarantee that our bedroom was child free for even one night, then we all know we'd be there." Killian retorted, not pulling away from Emma.   
It was Emma who untangled herself from Killian, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she finally worked herself free, much to Amelia's disgust.   
"God, you guys are the worst." She muttered, folding her arms across her chest and giving her parents a look that was so like a disgusted David face that it made Killian chuckle. "Well, how do you think you were made, lass?" He asked their daughter. "Because you were too bloody wriggly as a newborn to survive a flight with the stork."  
Emma was already half way up the stairs when he made that comment, but her laugh could be heard on the ground floor. "Too right, she was a kicker from the second she was in my belly." She called down, which only made Amelia blush.

With her mother gone, and the kissing over, Amelia followed her Dad into the kitchen, where she sat down at the kitchen table. "Papa, can i ask you a question?" She asked softly, playing with a pen Emma had left on the table. The older man nodded, and turned to face his eldest daughter. "Ask me anything love." He assured her, a kind smile on his face.   
"How did you know that you loved Mama so much? And how do you know you'll love her forever?"  
Killian gave his daughter a puzzled look before recovering and answering. "Well, i knew that i loved her so much many, many times. And that still happens. There are still things that she says, or does that remind me of how deeply i adore her. I think the first time was when we were parted by a curse. The notion of never being able to see her again almost ripped me in half. And every second since i reunited with her was a second i wasn't going to take for granted. And then there was the time she tried to bring me back from the Underworld, that helped me understand that i loved her too." Killian explained, settling in the seat beside his daughter. "But it's more in the small things. The way she holds my hand when she knows i'm nervous, but can't admit it. Or the way the strokes my hair as i'm falling back asleep after a nightmare. The things she says to me when i'm sad. Little things that mean big things." He added. "Why? Has something got you worried?"  
Amelia hesitated, her Father's answer almost convincing her to release the need to pursue. "Well, it's just that a few kids in my school, their parents loved each other once, and now they're living in separate houses and Tilly only sees her Dad on weekends and Daisy only sees her Mom one week in every month and what if you and Mama are like that one day? And i don't get to see both of you every day? How do you know you won't stop loving her?" Amelia asked, her tone high and panicked. Killian wanted to chuckle, to tell his little lass that her fears were based on nonsense. That his love for his Swan, was incomparable to the other parents at school, but he knew he had to take his daughter seriously, and so he held back his laughter. He would answer her question seriously, and hopefully quell her fears.   
"Okay, well there's a few reasons i know your Mother and I will never part." Killian said, starting to explain things to his worried child. "Firstly, there's the fact that she wouldn't let me leave, even if i wanted to." He joked. "Not that i'd ever want to!" He added quickly, noticing Amelia's face drop. "I'm just saying...anyway, there's also that matter of the two of us being True Love. That means something in these parts you know, it kinda means that we're soul mates. Meant for each other. Forever. Next, is our love for our children. There's no fight that's worth coming between us if it means damaging the family we've created together. Back before any of you kiddos were born, your Mama and i promised one another that we would not keep any secrets from each other, and we honor that. Even when it's tough. Because we deal with everything as a team. Even if it means having to tell the other person something that we'd rather stay hidden. Long story short my love, i'm not going anywhere, neither is your Mom. We love each other more with each passing moment."  
"Oh gross, get a room." Came Emma's teasing voice from the bottom of the stairs, obviously having heard the end of Killian's speech. She looked ready for work now, bag in hand along with her phone and keys. She crossed the space between her and the kitchen, and dropped a kiss onto the top of Amelia's head.   
"The only place i'm going is to work. Now make sure your Papa behaves himself." She said, winking at her daughter. Killian poked his tongue out at Emma, who captured his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss that he willingly accepted.   
"See?" Killian said with a smirk once his lips were free. "Not only are your parents not splitting up like those other kids parents because we love each other too much, we're also far too fond of kissing for us to be apart from one another for too long."


	12. Chapter 12

Killian loved spending time with his kids. When the twins had been born, he had been overcome with fear that he wouldn't achieve as a father, that he'd somehow fail the tiny babies and that they'd grow up into adults who resented him. However, that opinion had changed some time over the first year of being a father, and now he was confident in his children's happiness, and his own abilities. With Emma at work for the day, and probably not returning until late (he knew what she was like when she was in one of her frenzies, she'd return home probably not having eaten at all that day, strung up on coffee and exhausted out of her mind), it was really up to him as to what the family would do for bonding time. It had been easier when they were all little, even more so when the twins were toddlers and Lydia was a newborn. Lydia had been content with sleeping, and the twins were easy placate with a trip to the beach or a visit to the Jolly. However now the ages of the kids ranged over many more years and it was with almost certain that something that little Leo would love, the teenage twins would be bored out of their minds with. It was a constant struggle to find family activities that kept everyone at peace.   
Luckily, the kids were pretty easy in the mornings, most of them having inherited their mother's love of sleep and lie-ins, all apart from his Amelia. They often shared breakfast alone, talking about the day to come or days past. The little lass had quite the mind on her, and Killian knew that she would excel in anything she set her mind to. That particular morning, with Emma already out of the house and Amelia awake and ready for some fun, Killian decided on pancakes. It was a great task for his daughter to join in with, and then whole family would reap the benefits of it. 

Amelia loved mornings with her Papa, being a Daddy's girl through and through, it was one of the things that would stay with her well into her adult years. She loved that he spent time with her, invested himself in the small matters of a thirteen year olds social life, and never once seemed to be bored and mocked her. He would take her quite seriously in fact, and never failed to make her smile. So now, with her siblings still asleep in bed upstairs, Amelia was in the kitchen with her Papa, stirring the pancake mix while he warmed the skillet.   
"You know, Mama just makes these from the packet." Amelia told her father, nodding towards the pantry. "There's a few boxes in there." She added, trying to be helpful even though she knew her father most likely knew this already.   
"Aye, she does. Cooking is not really one of your Mother's many wonderful talents." Killian grinned, which only made Amelia chuckle.   
"Dad, what is your favourite thing about Mama?" Amelia asked, giving Killian an inquisitive look, wooden spoon still moving in hand. Killian thought for a moment, pretending to wrack his brains for an answer. "There are many favourite things." He concluded with a victorious grin.  
"Papa be serious!" Amelia demanded, her tone mimicking that of Emma's when she wanted Killian to behave.   
"Okay, well, seriously...there's lot. It's not just one thing that i love about her. I do love that she gave me you kids.That was a pretty great thing we did." He answered, looking at his daughter with pride. "And I love how much she loves me, and how much she loves you guys. Yeah, that'd be my favourite thing about her...the love she gives to everyone. She's always looking out for us all, trying to ensure that we're all okay."  
Amelia nodded and thought to herself before speaking. "I think i like her hugs best. She's so good at them and she's all warm and cuddly and it just makes you feel safe, you know?"   
"Believe me lass, i know the feeling. She's a wonderful hugger." 

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They had only just plated up the stack of pancakes when little Leo came trotting down the stairs, dragging his parents entire duvet with him. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he pooled the duvet around him and sank to the floor where he curled up and stuck his thumb in his mouth and stared at his Daddy. Killian couldn't help but grin, his youngest may look like him, but he was all Emma in that moment. From the sleepy eyes, to the slight pout, his son had the cheek to attempt to sleep in the middle of the ground floor because of his fear of missing out, but still desiring to sleep. Killian helped Amelia set the large plate of pancakes on the table before he hit the ground next to his son. He kissed the tip of the boy's nose, which caused it to scrunch up, a small giggle escaping his lips.   
"Good morning Captain Jones." Killian greeted his son, who had now decided to cuddle up with his Daddy, loving the concept of sleeping on the downstairs floor.   
"Morning Daddy." Leo mumbled, a slight lisp to his words.   
Killian heaved himself and Leo into a seated position, holding the four year old close to his chest as to not disturb him too much.   
"How about pancakes for the Captain?" He asked, kissing the top of Leo's head, lips pressing against the shaggy brown hair that sat there.  
"I want pancakes with Mommy." Leo fussed, pouting at his Dad. Killian heard Amelia sigh from the table, clearly a little upset that her time alone with Dad had been interrupted by her fussy younger brother. "Mommy is at work. You have me instead. Now, lets eat breakfast and then we can think about fun ways to spend our day together."

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The smell of pancakes eventually stirred all the children out of their beds and soon Killian was sitting around the dining table with his four kids, watching them with a smile of his face. He was always so in awe of them, so ecstatic that Emma had produced four babies for him, that he was their Papa and they loved him unconditionally. Lydia finished her food and slipped down from her seat, walking over to her Daddy and climbing up onto his lap. She was so in love with him and he loved nothing more than to allow her the cuddles she so desired from him.   
"Daddy can we go swimming today?" She asked suddenly, drawing cheers from her siblings as they agreed. Killian raised an eyebrow, apparently all of his children wanted to be in the water today. He thought about it quickly, he usually didn't attempt the pools without Emma or Henry, he never wanted to put his children in danger.   
"I'll call your Grandpa and see if he wants to come too and if he says yes, then we can go." He answered.   
The kids all cheered and Killian knew that he was going to have to find a way in which to convince his Father-in-Law to bring Neal out for a day at the pools with him.


	13. Chapter 13

It was never easy taking four kids swimming, alone. It was made even harder by the fact that Killian's children seemed to be slightly more reckless than the average child. Things were made slightly better by the arrangement of David and Neal coming along too. Neal could swim perfectly and would be able to play while David helped Killian with his two youngest, the only two Jones/Charming children who weren't super confident swimmers yet.   
Piling the children into the car was also hard, with four young ones all wanting different coloured towels, different goggles, different after swimming snacks, the list was endless. It was times like these that made Killian long for a more simpler place. To raise his children the way he would have been, had his parents been of quality. Rather, there was nothing he could do about that now, with the town portal and curse free, so he insisted on pestering his children until they were all strapped into the car and ready to go. 

David and Neal were waiting outside the leisure centre when they pulled up, and all of the Jones children cheered. They loved Neal and simply adored their Grandpa. As Killian opened the car door to let his kids out, he was practically pushed aside by Amelia, Lydia and Liam, all of them desperate to get out and to the two waiting for them. The old pirate simply rolled his eyes and helped unbuckle his youngest. "No doubt you want to rush off to see David too?" He asked, expecting his little boy to break free as soon as his car seat was released. However, he was surprised, Leo extended his arms out to his Daddy and a big smile. "Daddy carry me?" He asked sweetly, causing Killian's heart to burst.   
"Of course lad." He answered, lifting his toddler out and kissing his cheek. "I knew I could count of you, my little first mate." He grinned proudly. Leo giggled and patted Killian on the bag. "Daddy will you help me swim?" He asked softly as they all walked into the pools together. Killian gave a confident nod. "Of course my boy. I will help you for as long as you need me to." He promised. Leo looked relived and looked around happily. 

 

It didn't take long for them all to get changed, Lydia following Amelia into the female changing rooms with strict instructions to listen to her sister and then wait by the life guards until everyone else joined them. When Killian came out, changed in swimming trunks and holding Leo, he watched Lydia as she started to walk towards the pool, her sister paying attention to a group of high school boys and the young one not noticing her father's watchful eye.   
"Lydia Elsa Jones." Killian called out sternly, causing his youngest daughter to jump in fright and then flick a very guilty look his way. "I thought i told you to watch your sister? Not cute boys." Killian asked Amelia when he got closer. Amelia blushed and then glared at her sister for getting her into trouble.   
"I wasn't watching them." She said defensively. 

David and Killian helped the young ones into floaties while the older ones splashed into the water. "Looks like you've got quite a crowd forming there mate." Killian smirked at his friend, nodding to the Mom's who were bunched together and staring at the two men. David blushed and looked around the indoor pools. "Well, it may have something to do with the fact that we're here wifeless, and as the only men in this place."  
Killian chuckled to himself. "It's normally the other way around... i swear that the number of Dads on the school pick up has increased double since Emma started joining me." He grinned. "She always tells me that it's a compliment and that i should 'loosen up' a little....lets see if the same stands for her when i tell her later."

 

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Killian and David enjoyed their afternoon with the kids, Killian holding Leo and helping him splash around the pool, the older ones taking it in turns to beg David for shoulder rides and to be thrown into the pool. At one point, Killian had Liam on his shoulders, while David had Neal and the four of them competed it out to see who could push whom over. Killian couldn't get the stupid grin off his face when Liam finally shoved his Uncle and Grandpa down into the water, and he promised his son an extra large helping of ice cream that night. 

As they finally extracted the children from the pool, hours after entering thanks to the water slide that kept them all thoroughly entertained, Killian let out a sigh and flicked a grateful smile to David. "Thanks mate. The kids were begging to be taken out today and it's always hard without Emma here. I needed an extra pair of hands."  
David smiled at his son in law and shrugged. "Don't even worry about it Hook. I like spending time with my Grandkids."  
"And your sons?" He teased. 

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The kids were all snuggled up in warm clothes and watching a movie together in their parents bed when Emma finally made it home from work. Killian was downstairs making dinner and the first to greet her as she entered. Emma dumped her bag at the door and walked straight over to him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in him. Killian hummed with happiness and wrapped his arms around her too, holding her close. He could tell that she was stressed, and tired, and probably a little hungry too since she had a bad habit of not eating when she got too immersed in her work.   
"Mhmm you smell like chlorine." Emma mumbled, lifting her head and raising an eyebrow at him.   
"Your Dad and I took the kids and Neal to the swimming pool today." He explained with a smile. Emma pouted and tilted her head back, looking up at him more directly. "Lame. I love taking them swimming." She said. "Stupid work."  
"Don't worry love." Killian assured her, grinning a little. "You probably would not have enjoyed this visit. There were too many Mothers there and not one of them spent any time looking at their children, rather, they quite fancied the two men in the area."  
Emma laughed out loud. "Are you trying to tell me that you were being checked out by the Moms of Storybrooke?" She asked, running a hand through his hair. Killian nodded proudly. "I sure was. Oh, and Liam and I destroyed your Father and Brother in one of those shoulder wars games you taught us." He added, looking so pleased with himself. Emma chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe that women would check you out. I mean, it's no secret that you're married..." She objected.  
"Swan, are you angry at this?" He asked, looking a little confused. Emma shook her head at him and stroked his cheeks.   
"No...it's not that. It's just i wish i'd been there." She told him honestly. It was then Killian's turn to look confused.   
"Love, what could you have done to stop them? It's not like you to tell them off."  
Emma didn't reply right away, instead she dipped a hand up his shirt, fingers exploring his chest as she kissed him passionately. Her free arm held him steady against her, hand splayed against his firm and muscular back as she kissed him good and proper. When she finally broke away, his eyes were still closed and he looked to be in slight shock.   
"That. That is what i would have done to stop them." She concluded cheekily, moving away from him to grab a glass of water. Killian finally opened his eyes and closed his mouth, giving her his familiar smirk. "Remind me to do the same next time we drop the kids off at school and every man within five miles starts ogling your fine ass."


	14. Chapter 14

"I'm so tired." Emma mumbled, collapsing onto the bed next to her husband. He was already shirtless and under the covers, reading some book he'd borrowed from Belle. Emma had just got back from a long shift at work and her body ached. Every part of her was exhausted and she just wanted to be in her pyjamas and snuggled up next to him already. Killian chuckled and placed his book down, then began to gently rub circles on Emmas back.   
"Rough day, love?" He asked softly, laughing a little more when the only reply he got was a groan. "I'll take that as a yes then." He grinned.  
"Shall i tell you about the children?" Killian asked. Emma raised her head and nodded at him, shifting so she was laying on her side, waiting for him to disclose what kind of day he'd had with the kids.   
"Well, we didn't do much, if i'm honest. We mostly just watched movies and did some crafts that Amelia found on the computer." Killian admitted. "But...Leo did make this for us." He added, leaning back to his bedside table and pulling a painting out from the top drawer. Killian handed it over to Emma with a smile. "I think our baby boy is quite the artist Swan."   
Emma took the painting and smiled softly to herself. Her son had painted them all, their whole family- even the dog was included.   
"Wait, why is your hook bigger than your head?" Emma asked, laughing a little. Killian double checked the picture and then laughed too. "I think we should frame this one Em." He told her. Emma nodded in agreement and then passed the painting over to her bedside table. She then moved over so she was half laying on top of Killian's chest, staring at him directly. "I love you." She told him, before placing a kiss on his lips. He smiled and placed his hand around her back, holding her against him.   
"I love you too." He replied almost instantly, then lifting his head up to kiss her once more. 

Emma gave a huff and pulled herself into a seated position. "Okay, let me shower and change and then i want cuddles and a movie in bed with my husband."   
Killian nodded and gave her a slight smirk. "I think you mean...cuddles and the first ten minutes of a movie in bed with your husband because we both know you never make it all the way through a movie before you start snoring."  
"I do not snore!" Emma objected, playfully poking him in his sides. "I just.....like falling asleep to sounds, and movie sounds soothe me."  
"I'm only teasing you love, now go get in the shower so you can join me. I'll find a film." He told her, nudging her with his knee from under the covers. Emma poked her tongue out at him but obeyed, getting up reluctantly and heading into the ensuite. 

Emma showered quickly, but made sure that she spent time washing and conditioning her hair, and washing off the grime of the day from her body. It was nice having a few moments of peace to herself, especially when life with so many kids and a full time job got so hectic. Killian was so good at keeping her calm and as stress free as possible, but there was nothing a hot shower and time alone couldn't relax her from.

Soon, she was dressed in one of Killian's shirts, which was oversized on her and she was towel drying her hair to an acceptable sleeping dampness. When she was satisfied, and her night cream had been applied to her face, moisturiser to her legs, she was ready to get into bed with her man.  
As she slipped in next to him, his hand automatically went to feeling her smooth legs. "You know love, women in my realm didn't bother with the products you use, nor did they shave the hairs that grew on them, but I have to admit, your legs are bloody divine." He told him, running his hand along her calf.   
Emma blushed and kissed the apple of his cheek, then settled her head down on his shoulder. "Yeah, well, you're bloody divine yourself." She told him in return, imitating his accent.   
Killian shushed her with a roll of his eyes and a kiss to her lips. Emma laughed and then focused her attention on the television that hung on the wall opposite to their bed. "What did you pick out?" She asked, running her hand over his chest, fingers warming up against his warm skin.   
"White House Down." Killian replied, pressing play on the remote before setting it on his bedside table and returning his arm to around his wife's side. Emma never cared what film he chose to play, they both knew that she rarely made it more than twenty minutes into the film and he was the one left to finish it alone.  
Killian loved it that way if he was honest, he loved watching a good film, his adorable wife curled up against him, the slight heavy breathing she fell into as a deep sleep came over her. Sometimes, as the credits rolled, he'd just watch her sleeping, so in awe of the beautiful woman who had deemed him worthy enough to spend forever with, to have children with.   
"It's good actually." Emma said, breaking him from his day dream. "Lots of action, i think you'll like it." She added, before closing her eyes and listening to the film. This was how it all started, she'd be all warm and cosy next to him, his arm making her feel safe and loved. Then the movie would start, the music lulling her into closing her eyes, telling her that she would simply listen to the film. And before she knew it, it would be morning time.   
Tonight was no different, Emma was asleep within a record five minutes of the film starting, leaving Killian to finish it off alone. Like she'd said, he did enjoy it, he loved action with a touch of heart. Eventually, as the credits rolled, he carefully extradited his arm from under his Swan, only causing her to stir slightly in order for him to switch the TV off with the remote and then he was back in his previous position, his own eyes closing to sleep.

 

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Emma woke first, something that motherhood had brought out in her. She often heard the children before Killian did, the years he spent at sea able to sleep through whatever noise his crew were making, now working against him as a parent. Emma however, nearly always heard the children as they woke, and in order to save her husband from an early wake up call, she got out of bed in order to find them and distract them before they burnt the house down. Killian did the same for her on weekends, and since he'd had the kids for the past few days without her, she thought it was the least she could do. Leo was always her first stop, he was the loudest if left unattended, and the most likely to sneak into his parents bedroom when no one was looking. She kissed her sweet boy all over his chubby face and then lifted him into her arms, letting him sit on her hip as she rounded up his siblings for breakfast.  
"Okay, okay, come on Jones' time to eat."  
Amelia helped her Mom by herding Lydia and Liam towards the dining table, even starting to set the table once they were there. Emma smiled and kissed the top of her daughters head as she passed her and placed Leo in his special strap in chair.   
"Waffles Mama?" Lydia asked, pulling herself up onto a seat. Emma shook her head. "Sorry baby, I don't have any milk. Or flour. Someone will have to go to the store later. But I thought that we could have a cooked breakfast today? We can have bacon and hashbrowns with grilled tomato and eggs?" She suggested. All four of her kids replied with enthusiastic nods, Leo even went as far as banging his spoon on the table happily. Emma chuckled and leaned over to gently pry the spoon away from her son.   
"Shhhhh sh sh shhh." She encouraged. "Daddy is still sleeping, remember? Lets try and keep it that way." 

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Twenty minutes later and Amelia was standing at her Mom's side, holding a plate out for her to dish the food onto. Amelia had already served everyone else their food, wanting to help out as much as possible and now she was finally waiting for have her own breakfast dished up. Once the plate was full, the young girl turned and carefully carried the plate back to her seat, where she sat down and began to eat. There was a peace that fell upon the Jones household when all the kids had food. Emma placed Killian's plate into the oven to keep it warm, while she nursed her second cup of coffee for the morning. She wasn't a huge breakfast person, especially if like today, she had no major plans. Emma leant against the kitchen counter, watching her four loves eating their food eagerly, none of them talking, all concentrating on the food in front of them. It was then that she heard Killian walking down the stairs and a smile came to her.   
"Good morning handsome." She greeted, kissing him as he walked past her towards the kids.   
"You were out quicker than usual last last." He commented, and moving to her top and lingering near her in hopes of a second kiss. Emma grinned and gave him what she knew he wanted, then playfully pushed him towards the table. "I have food for you. Sit and eat."


	15. Chapter 15

Killian had been away on the Jolly Roger with Henry, Neal and David for a good week by the time the kids started becoming unbearable for Emma. Every second of every day they were either throwing a meltdown because they wanted their Papa, or were asking when he'd be home, or why he didn't take them with him. Emma tried being patient, really, she did. But with Leo waking up every two hours, shifts at the station busier than ever with only one sheriff in town, and her Mother around at the house due to boredom, she could only last so long. It was Monday and Emma had just dropped the kids off at school, and was only left with Leo, who was thankfully asleep in his buggy. Emma had decided to walk the kids to school, which was the first bad decision she'd made that morning. The twins had run into every road they'd come across, giving Emma a heart attack each and every damn time. She kept telling them to stop playing their game of chase, and it'd worked for about two seconds each time, then one would suddenly break away and run off, leaving the other chasing. They didn't mean to run into the roads, they were just busy playing and not paying attention. Eventually, Emma had resorted to shouting at them, if only to scare them into not doing it again. Storybrooke may be a small town but there were still cars on the road and she didn't want any of her kids being hit by one. She hated shouting at them, it always made her feel crappy and so when Amelia's bottom lip stuck out and she began pouting, it only made Emma feel worse.   
Then, Lydia had started to cry out of no where. Emma was confused as hell as she parked the buggy and made sure the older two weren't about to run into another road. Bending down to Lydia's level, she'd tried to comfort her daughter and find out what was wrong, only to find out that the little one didn't want to be dropped off at school by her, she wanted to be dropped off by her Daddy. Well, there was nothing Emma could do to help with that one, she'd tried saying, which only made things worse, which was her second mistake of the morning.  
When they finally made it to the school gates, Lydia still crying, and now Amelia and Liam looking like they were about to too, Emma was relieved to be dropping them off. She knew they missed Killian. She missed him too. But he'd be home soon, and they weren't making the time without him easy.  
Lastly, was Leo. Her last mistake of the morning was not packing any fresh diapers, and so her poor baby had been distraught at having to lay in a dirty diaper while she made her way to the store to buy an entirely new packet for him. When he was finally fresh and clean, and Emma herself was close to tears, he fell asleep in her arms and she felt slightly better. Kissing him on the head, she placed him back in the buggy and covered him in a blanket, letting out the biggest sigh of relief she'd ever sighed.  
She should have driven. 

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Leo slept for a few hours by Emma's desk, content with sleeping in his little buggy as his Mom worked away on her laptop. When she finally stood up to stretch and get herself a coffee did he stir, chubby little fists rubbing at his eyes sleepily. "Hey there my little man." She cooed, bending down to unstrap him and lift him out. Leo stretched his arms out to her, a cheeky grin on his face as she gave him a hug. "Mama!" He babbled, grabbing at her shirt excitedly. Emma grinned and kissed him on the cheek, feeling like a much better parent than she did this morning. She moved them both over to the coffee machine, switching it on for herself, and grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl for him. "Are you hungry my little love bug?" She asked, laughing as Leo tried grabbing the banana.   
"I'll take that as a yes then."  
Ten minutes later and Emma was sat on the floor of the station, feeding Leo chunks of banana between taking sips of her coffee. It was in that position that Regina found her in, looking down at her in disapproval. "Miss Swan, I thought that this was a place of work, not a daycare centre." She said sarcastically. Emma rolled her eyes and stood up, leaving Leo happily on the floor.   
"Well, since the other two staff members are out of town and I have a baby to take care of, you're lucky that you have one sheriff here. Unless you know, you want to extend our budget to another person. Then they could be here and I could be at home with my son, in an environment that is suitable for a child. Rather than here." She said, snapping a little. Regina lifted her brows in shock and then collected her composure.   
"Well, I clearly hit a nerve. Leo is no issue, as long as you don't find him an inconvenience.....When is that pirate of yours returning anyway? I have a favour to ask him."  
Emma lifted Leo from the ground and held him close, ignoring the fact that Leo's hands were covered in banana mush and he was more than likely wiping them all over her shirt. "He should be home tonight or tomorrow night, depending on the tides." She told Regina. Emma wished deep in her core that Killian would be home before bed.   
"Have you not heard from Henry? I would have thought that his phone would work better than the brick Killian has." Emma asked the other woman, only to get a shake of her head in response. "I guess that there really isn't any signal out there, even for tech heads like Henry." 

It was at that moment that a sudden commotion came over the station, loud voices laughing together, and attempting to talk over one another. Emma recognised the voices almost immediately and her face lit up. "Your timing is perfect Regina." She said softly as Killian, Henry, David and Neal all walked around the corner and into the wider station.   
Emma went straight to Killian, wrapping her free arm around him as she buried her face in his chest. Leo squirmed excitedly from her arms, screaming out with happiness at the appearance of his father. Killian kissed the top of Emma's head and took Leo from her, giving his boy all the kisses he could.  
Henry went to Regina and gave her a tight hug, happy to see her after a week away.   
"You're home earlier than i thought." Emma said when she finally pulled away. Henry laughed and pointed at David. "Well Grand-dad kept being sea sick and so he wasn't much fun, we figured that calling it quits a day earlier than we planned wasn't the worst idea in the world as it meant we didn't have to endure another night of him complaining." David blushed and Killian smirked, which made Emma smile.   
"Can't handle your ocean Dad?" Emma asked. She had wound her arm further around Killian's back and was pressed so closely to him, she could feel his heart beating. "Well, if you're all reconnected, I think that Neal and I should head home to Snow." David said, avoiding the question altogether. Emma chuckled and watched her Dad and you're brother leave.   
"I'll call back about that favour." Regina said pointedly at Emma, before looking at Henry. "I've missed you, I hope you plan on staying with me tonight. I haven't been able to feed you all week." Henry laughed and quickly glanced at Emma before nodding at Regina. "I've missed you too Mom. And your dinner sounds like a delicious idea. Much better than the mackerels and stewed apples Killian's been trying to kill me with."  
Killian was going to object, but stopped himself and let Henry and Regina leave.   
Once they were alone, Emma looked up at Killian and grinned, then grabbed his collar and kissed his cheeks and lips over and over again, never getting enough of him. "Oh God, never leave again. And if you do, take all of the children with you." She told him, finally stopping the persistent kisses.  
Killian gave her a quizzical look and then gave his youngest son a mock stern glance. "Did you misbehave for your mummy?" He asked, smiling through his words at the baby. "Oh no, this one was pretty good. He missed you, but he didn't scream the house down, or try and run into roads every ten seconds like the other three of your children did." Emma told him. "Leo just did the usual....eat, sleep, cry, say Papa in confusion at bed time. The others were three perfect horrors."   
Killian gave a regretful glance at his wife and pulled her in for a close hug. "I'm sorry love. I thought they'd be well behaved but i guess even i can be wrong sometimes." Emma laughed at that, and nodded. "Very wrong." She added. "But you can make it up to me later."

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Killian was standing at the front of the parents crowd at pick up that afternoon, excited to see the three older kids who had no idea that he would be there. Lydia was let out first, as the younger ones always were. When she saw her Papa in the crowd she froze, mid step, for about two seconds before letting out the loudest screech Emma had ever heard, and sprinted into his waiting arms. Their reunion was sweet, with Lydia kissing her Papa's cheeks the way Emma had. He held her easily in his arms, her small frame wrapped around him protectively as the older kids were let out. Amelia and Liam didn't noticed until they were almost at his feet at which time Killian cleared his throat in an attempt to hint at his presence. They both gasped as they looked up and then threw themselves at him, wrapping their arms around his legs.   
"Papa you came home!" Amelia cried out, as if she'd never expected to see him again. Killian simply chuckled and bent down on one knee, giving the twins as much attention and affection that he'd done for Lydia.  
"Papa can we get ice cream?" Amelia asked, a huge grin on her face now that her Daddy was home. Killian looked up at Emma who shrugged. Sure, they'd been assholes all week, but why not reward their crappy behaviour with ice cream. Killian seemed to read her mind and turned back to the kids and shook his head.   
"Well, a little birdie told me that some of things that you did this week while i was away were a little naughty. And that you made it really hard for Mummy. She was all alone trying to look after you guys and you were all a bit silly and didn't listen to her, or remember your good behaviour. So, i think that tonight we're all going home where you can do your homework, have dinner and go to bed. But, if you're very very very good from now until dinner, i may watch a movie with you. But only if you are good for your Mum."  
Amelia, Liam and Lydia looked at their Daddy, identical looks of shame on their faces. They knew that they perhaps hadn't been the best behaved kids either. It was Liam who broke away from Killian and walked around to Emma, who was standing behind with Leo, and took her hand, giving it a little tug.   
"I'm sorry Mommy." He told her softly, looking up at her with big blue eyes. Emma smiled at him and beat down so she could reach him and give him a little kiss on the cheek. "Thank you my love."

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As it turned out, the return of their Father made all of the kids behave better, even Leo was the happiest he'd been in days and didn't cry once. By the time they had completed all homework and Killian had made the dinner, Emma was feeling much much better than she had that morning. She helped the kids with their homework when they needed it, spent time with Leo on his play mat, handing him toys to slobber on and coo over. She also stood and watched Killian cooking, offering the occasional kiss as he walked past her to get to the fridge or the pantry.   
When he began dishing up the meal, Liam, Lydia and Amelia all watched him with hopeful eyes, hoping that they'd be allowed to eat their dinner in front of the TV and watch a movie. Killian knew exactly what they were hoping for and couldn't help but smirk to himself at how similar to Emma's puppy dog eyes they all looked.   
"Take these, and carefully, and i mean carefully, walk to the TV. And you all sit on the floor to eat, remember? So you don't make a mess on the couch." The three kids nodded in agreement, begging eyes having changed into big happy grins. They were used to sitting on the floor to eat, that was the way it always went. Eat on the floor, then change into their pyjamas in front of the TV, and then jump up onto the couch to snuggle with their parents until the movie was over. 

Emma watched the kids leave the room and then she turned to Killian, pulling him in for a hug. "Softy." She teased quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck. Killian replied with a soft kiss to her lips, which she smiled into. "If they're getting a movie after being little shits for a solid week, what am i getting for being so damn good for a week solid?" She asked, lifting her eyebrows in question as she spoke. Killian's brows rose in response and he gave her a wicked grin. "I have my plans for you, don't you worry. I've had six long nights without you to imagine exactly what tonight will be like."

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Much later that night, when Emma finally had her pirate back in her arms, head resting on his bare chest, she couldn't help but be so happy with his return. She'd missed him, but she always enjoyed their reunions. "You know, if you're going to back a come back like that, then i think you should go away more often." She joked, running a hand across his torso. "Never." Killian promised. "Absolute bloody torture being away from you, love."


	16. Chapter 16

Emma watched her daughter coming down the stairs in her ballgown with a grace that she had inherited from someone other than herself. Emma was never as graceful as Amelia, and she'd never been prouder of her daughter. The boy who was taking her thirteen year old to her first ball stood at the bottom of the staircase, his jaw practically on the ground as Amelia stunned him with her baby pink dress. Mary Margaret had insisted on helping her grand-daughter with the preparations, and Emma hadn't objected. She knew her mom liked having the opportunity to play princesses, and since she herself was too old and so not interested, her kids made perfect replacements. Killian took Amelia's hand as she reached the bottom step and he bowed a little, kissing the top of her hand, which caused the teen to blush and grin.   
"Papa, it's just a school dance." She whispered, a little embarrassed. Killian gave a little frown and shook his head. "No my love, it's not just a school dance. It's your first dance." He whispered back, before pulling her into a hug. "You look beautiful, just like your Mother."  
Emma stood back, unable to say anything due to the giant lump that had lodged itself in her throat and threatened tears at any moment. Mary Margaret came down the stairs, camera in hand, looking excited. "Okay, photo time!" She cried out happily. "Emma, Killian....you should take one with Amelia, and then i want some of the cute date. And then maybe a group one. And when Liam finally comes down, we can get one of the twins together." She babbled. Emma blinked away the tears that had been holding themselves in her tear ducts, ready to fall at any moment. Her Mom's distraction was just what she needed to stop herself from feeling like she was going to cry like a baby. Killian wrapped his arm around Amelia's shoulders, already ready to pose for photos. He looked for his wife and upon seeing her face, gave a little smile. He knew she was finding this whole 'kids growing up' thing tough. "Mom, come on...lets get this over with." Amelia begged, looking like she just wanted to leave already. Emma nodded and sniffed, quickly wiping her cheeks and then smiling, standing on the other side of Amelia. "You look beautiful babe." She whispered before kissing the top of her daughters head. "And remember, you don't have to kiss this boy. If he's not nice to you, and you're not feeling it, don't feel obligated to do anything, okay? And you can call me and i'll pick you up whenever, okay? I don't mind at all." She whispered.   
"Mom, please. He's standing right there." Amelia whispered back, eyes wide and pleading for her Mom to stop talking. Emma smiled and nodded, then stepped back and let the rest of the photos be taken. Liam eventually made it down the stairs, looking handsome but begrudged. He wasn't taking a date to the dance and was only going because his Grandmother had told him that if he went, David would allow him to train sword fighting with him.   
He stood by his sister, only turning the frown into a smoulder when the camera came out, and then it was back to looking unhappy again. "Oh you look so handsome and grown up." Emma said, giving her son a hug. "You remind me so much of your Father....just...don't chat up the ladies like he did, okay?" Emma grinned. Killian objected, but laughed all the same. "Don't worry Mom, i don't pillage and plunder on the first date." He promised, using a line that his Father had told him to say the night before. Despite not really knowing what it meant, he knew that it'd had an effect on his Mom when she turned to Killian with an open, shocked mouth and slapped him around the arm. "Don't think you're getting away with that one pirate, you're the only other person in this room that could have told him to say that and i know it wasn't me."  
Killian rubbed his arm and shrugged. "Sorry love, bad form."

Twenty minutes later, and Killian having threatened the poor boy escorting Amelia to the ball thoroughly enough, and the kids were gone. Mary Margaret had offered to drive them, as she had to go and supervise in her capacity as teacher. Lydia and Leo were still watching the television, both unaffected by their siblings leaving for the dance, and Emma and Killian stood looking at each other in silence for a few seconds. It was Emma who broke the silence, moving close to him and wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "I can't believe they're thirteen already. We're getting so old Killian."  
"Speak for yourself love, i'm a spritely three hundred and something." He teased, rubbing his hand over her back soothingly. "And anyway, you're not old, they're just growing up quickly." Emma nodded and turned her head to watch the two younger ones on the sofa together. They were close, Leo and Lydia. Leo had easily caught up to his older sister, with her always having been small for her age and the child who had struggled with more than the others had. Lydia's head rested on her brothers belly as they both lay stretched out of the sofa. "I wish we could press pause on those two." Emma mused. "Six and eight are such nice ages. I want them to stay like this forever."  
Killian smiled in agreement. "Well, how about we go and enjoy the two we still have left at home?"


	17. Chapter 17

"Killian, I swear to God if you don't keep quiet, and you wake the baby, i'm going to skin you alive." Emma warned fiercely as Killian clumsily knocked another dish on the side, causing it to fall to the ground and make a loud crashing sound. "Sorry love, you know i'm a little cloddish when tipsy." He grinned, trying to get out of trouble with one of his winning smiles. Emma wasn't buying it, not tonight anyway.   
"Well, if you'd stayed home and helped me with the kids and not gone out drinking with my Father, then maybe you wouldn't be dropping things every where and you wouldn't be in high risk of waking the baby I spent two hours trying to get to sleep tonight. Not to mention her terror twin siblings who refused to get themselves into their beds." Killian pouted and walked behind Emma, where she stood doing the dishes. He wrapped his hooked arm around her waist, and used his good hand to kneed a massage into her shoulders and back. "I'm sorry. Dave wanted some advice on your Mother and thought it best to ponder over a rum or two. Or maybe it was five?" He hiccuped and then rested his forehead against Emma's neck, taking in a deep breath. "Six?" He whispered to himself, sounding confused. Emma sighed and turned around in his arm, gently pushing him away to give her some space. "I don't care how much you drank Killian. I just care that I'm tired and cranky and I'm turning into a nag." Killian tutted and shook his head. "You're not a nag. And if you are, you're my beautiful, hot, nag." Killian defended. It only made Emma roll her eyes. "I'm not having this conversation with a drunk man." She told him, pushing him further away. "Just go to bed Killian." She added.   
He listened to her, but not before coming forward and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I love you, nagging and all." He told her, and Emma could tell that despite the liquor, he was quite serious. She smiled softly and nodded, watching him leave for their bedroom. She'd give him a fifteen minute head start and then join him, no doubt cuddling up into his arms as she always did.

When she finally did make it into bed, after checking in on the three kids sleeping in their house that night (Henry was staying the night at Violet's), Killian was already fast asleep and snoring. Emma didn't mind the snoring so much, he only did it when he'd been drinking and part of her liked having the background noise to fall asleep to. There had been a couple of nights in their marriage however, where Emma would kick him awake and tell him to roll over, the snoring getting out of control and sounding more like a freight train than any sleeping sounds. Tonight wasn't so bad and when she slipped under the covers wearing one of his old shirts, he lifted an arm for her to tuck under, proof that even in his sleep, he was thinking of her. Emma curled into him and pressed a light kiss to his bare chest, then closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Sleep never lasted long with two toddlers and a baby in the house and it had only been a few hours when Emma was woken by the sounds of Lydia crying. She fumbled her way out of bed in the dark, almost kicking her toe on the edge of the bed. She made her way into the nursery and lifted her three month old from the bassinet.   
"Hey, hey, my sweet girl. Mama is right here." Emma said softly, sitting down on the rocking chair in the corner of the room. Lydia continued to cry, and Emma lifted her shirt, attaching the babe to her breast where she began to feed, cries snuffed out for food. Emma closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the cushions of the seat. She was so tired, so, incredibly tired. The twins were so energetic, and Lydia was hard to feed during the day, which made her cranky, and extra hungry during the night. Emma got hardly any sleep, and when she did, it was nearly always broken by a child or baby crying, or her mind making her think that someone was crying. The problem was, she knew Killian was just as tired. He'd work a long day alone, trying to do the work of two or three sheriffs all by himself and then he'd come home to her and the kids, and the kids would beg him to play, and he never wanted to say no, and so he'd exhaust himself playing with them. By the time it was actually time for the bed routines, Killian was also ready to put himself to sleep. But the twins were hard work to calm down, they wanted ten stories, then another story, then another. And then they were thirsty, and then they needed a snack, and then they wanted a cuddle. And then one of them would cry for Emma to lay with them until they fell asleep and this whole time Emma was trying to soothe Lydia, or clean the kitchen, or put their toys away, or try and keep herself awake. This thing....parenthood....was a lot harder than anyone had ever warned her about. 

She heard the sound of someone else opening the door to the nursery and she opened her eyes, looking to see if it was Killian or one of the other kids. Thankfully, it was her husband, looking a little rough. He cleared his throat before speaking, sleep clearly making things a little groggy for him. "I can take her for you." He offered, eyes hardly open. Emma smiled softly. Lydia did do well sleeping on her daddy. In fact, on nights where she kept waking up, Killian would take her once she'd fed and let her lay on his chest, and it usually worked to calm her for more hours of sleep than she could get on her own.   
"I'll bring her to bed once she's done." Emma told him. "Go back to sleep and i'll put her on you."

Killian gave a sleepy nod and turned to head back to bed. Emma thought he was so sweet to get out of bed to help her, even though he knew that nights were hard, since Emma was the only one who could feed her. Considering the headache he probably had too, he had clearly put a lot of thought and effort in coming to offer his help.   
"You know my little princess, you have the best Papa in the whole world?" Emma whispered softly to her feeding baby, gently stroking the fine blonde hairs that covered her head. "And he's only going to get better as you grow. He's going to take such good care of you." She added quietly. Lydia glanced up at the sound of her Mom's voice and Emma could have sworn that her daughter was smiling up at her, but it was dark, and she was tired and she was most likely imagining it.

Eventually, Lydia was full, but not asleep. She had this nasty habit of drinking until she was full, and being adamant that she was going to stay awake for at least another hour after feeding, just wanting to snuggle someone, or play. Emma stood up as she had promised Killian, and carried the newest Swan-Jones baby into the master bedroom. Killian had fallen asleep in a slightly seated position, the exact angle that Lydia found suitable for sleeping on. "What did i tell you?" Emma whispered. "Best Papa." 

She settled herself into bed first, and then gently moved Lydia from her own arms to Killian. His hand came instinctively up to rest on her back, holding her steady on him. Emma smiled and then lay down properly herself, hoping that Lydia wouldn't fuss and would fall asleep quickly. 

CS CS CS CS CS 

Lydia must have fallen asleep, as did Emma because soon it was morning, and Emma hadn't been woken since placing Lydia with her Papa. Emma groaned as she rolled over in bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes and then arching her back, giving herself a good stretch. "Morning sleepy." Killian chuckled. Emma turned her head to look at him and smiled at the sight of Lydia still asleep on him. "How are you not hung over?" She asked. "You were drunk as anything last night."  
"Believe me, looks may be deceiving lass. I do feel quite like vomiting. And my head is pounding something rotten."

"Do you want sympathy, or a hangover drink?" She asked with a slight smile. Killian winked at her, his charm never leaving, no matter how ill he felt. "I'll take both, if you're offering. And a side of burger and fries too." He told her. Emma laughed at that, of course he wanted food. She leaned forward and kissed him gently, giving him the sympathy part of his request. "I'll run over to Granny's and pick up some breakfast. The twins should sleep for a little longer but if they don't, i'll be back soon."

CS CS CS CS 

It was nice to get out of the house, if Emma was honest with herself. She adored her kids and her husband, but being out and alone was glorious. No one was trying to get her attention, no-one needed watching, or helping, and best of all, her body was officially her own. The walk to Granny's wasn't far, but Emma took her time and enjoyed herself, knowing that her next spout of freedom could be days away. She made a list of the food she'd order once she got there; pancakes for the twins, a burger and fries for Killian, as per his request and a grilled cheese and decaf coffee for herself. She had slowly become used to decaf since being pregnant and breast feeding and while it wasn't her favourite thing in the world, it was still coffee and it would do. 

Killian however, was not having as much of a relaxing time. The twins had woken up and wanted playing with, both of them stomping their little feet and folding their small arms across their chests, demanding that Papa put the baby down and play pirates with them. Their fussing had woken Lydia and now she wanted feeding, something Killian couldn't help with. Her cries only just drowned out the shouting of her siblings, all of which made Killian's already pulsating head ache even more. He was just about to lose it when Emma walked in the front door like a goddess. She immediately assessed the situation and placed the food on the kitchen table. Her first move was to grab the twins and put them each in their chairs, placing pancakes in front of them, with a kiss on the top of their heads. This immediately silenced them and with a victorious smile she took Lydia and bumped her hip against Killian's, gently shoving him towards the kitchen where his food was waiting. She lifted her shirt and unclipped her bra before feeding Lydia, which brought a much needed silence over the household. Emma sat down next to Killian, Lydia feeding greedily, small fists grabbing at her shirt. Killian smiled down at their youngest as he chewed a bite of his greasy burger. "I don't know how you do it every day love. I mean, forty minutes alone with all three of them was hard enough, and you do it all day every day." Killian told her. Emma shrugged and looked at him seriously. "Well, to start with, i don't do it alone. I have you. And secondly, it's easier when you're the one with the food. That takes away at least half of the noise. It is hard though, especially when the twins want to play but Lydia needs my attention. It feels like i have to choose which child to love in that moment. And it's exhausting. But i know that at the end of the day, you're going to walk through that door and the twins will be happy to see you, even if they've been little shits for me all day and i know that you're going to help me and love me and it's no longer me against three screaming, crying things....it's us and our family." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, to which he replied by kissing her on the lips.


	18. Chapter 18

Leave a comment if you have any chapter prompts!

Thanks!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killian and Emma on a picnic with their kids (Canon CS in the future - well after the whole 'walk through a portal pregnant' thing happened.

Emma and Killian sat on the picnic bench that they'd sat at all those years ago when Emma had embarrassingly quickly and clumsily, asked him to move in with her. It'd become a place that they came to frequently over the years.... it was 'their spot', Emma liked to tell him, but she said that about many places in town. Their booth in Granny's, the middle of the road where she'd kissed the living daylights out of him....the rooftop they'd been wed upon, the alleyway Grumpy had almost caught them about to rip each others clothes off....and of course, the loft, which now lay mostly empty, except for nights when David was in the dog house and Snow told him to reflect on his bad behaviour. 

So, here they were, sitting at their picnic table, watching their four kids playing in the playground not too far away, all of them full from the lunch that Granny had prepared. Liam was helping Lydia on the swings, pushing her as she laughed her head off, thrilled that she was being pushed higher than either of her parents had the guts to do themselves. Amelia and Leo were on the slides, going up and down, up and down, up and down, Amelia never getting bored of assisting her younger brother. They were all such nice ages, the twins sitting at almost twelve, Lydia at seven and Leo just turned four. They played so well together, all four of them forming a gang like no other in town. They were known as the Swan-Jones clan, and when Neal and Ruth joined them, four became six and they were almost unstoppable in any playground. It was a good thing that they were all such good children. Wild, and a little cheeky, but they all possessed a kindness that Emma swore they inherited from Snow, because she herself would never claim to be so sweet. 

She rested her chin on Killian's shoulder and looked up at him with a sad smile. "I wish Henry were here." She said softly. She missed her son so badly, with every part of her. He'd gone off and done the college thing, and then had needed his own adventure, setting off into another realm to find his own story. "Do you think he's okay?" She asked him, before he had a chance to reply to her first statement. Killian as always, took a moment to think before he spoke, moving his arm to wrap around his wife in what he hoped was a small gesture of comfort. "I miss him too love, and i'm sure he misses us too. But i also know that this is important to him. He has to find his own story, and he'll come back when the time is right. You raised him well, we prepared him best we could. And the Henry i know and love, can and will, get out of anything. He's damn good with plans, and I know that whatever trouble may find him, will be running away with it's tail between it's legs in no time at all." Killian told her, never taking his eyes off the young children who played in front of them.

Emma nodded and followed his gaze, watching their other children, her head moving to rest against him. "I just..... it's crazy to think how little time we actually get with them." She mused. "One minute they're being placed in your arms, bright red and beautiful, crying their heads off, the next they're leaving for college." Emma sniffed, trying her best not to cry. Killian gave a little chuckle and nudged his wife playfully. "Love, they're hardly going off to college just yet, Leo still urinates in his underwear at play school if you don't watch him carefully enough." Emma laughed and nodded in agreement. "He's almost there....he's just too shy to ask to use the bathroom." She told him, defending their youngest.   
"My point being love, that they're still young. Even Liam and Amelia, though they deliver a level of sassiness that is far beyond their years. We still have many years with them, and who knows? Maybe we can convince at least one of them to stay in town for the rest of their lives?" He replied, really causing Emma to smile now. He always had known how to cheer her up and make her smile.   
"I love you." Emma told him, gently cupping his cheek and turning his head towards her to kiss him. Killian closed his eyes and kissed her back, his arm still wrapped around her back. They broke apart at the sound of kids running to them, panting and a sound of complaint at the sight of their parents making out. 

"Mama, Papa, can we please get ice creams?" Leo asked. Emma looked back to the other three kids, all of whom suddenly tried their best to look as if they hadn't just sent their youngest sibling to ask for a treat, knowing full well that his chubby cheeks and puppy dog eyes were the best in the family. Emma raised her eyebrows at Liam and Amelia, signalling to them that she was giving them credit for such a smart move.

"Well, it depends....I think Mama needs a big cuddle and a kiss before she can make any ice cream decisions." She told him with a wink. Leo giggled and wrapped his arms around his Mom, simultaneously trying to climb up into her lap. "Buddy, you gotta let go of me to get up here." Emma laughed, pulling him up into her lap. Once he was in her arms, he rewrapped his arms around her, squeezing her in a hug, kissing her cheek as he went. "Ohhhhh i love your cuddles buddy, why don't you give them out more often?" She asked with a smile, hugging him back. 

"Hey, I think Papa needs one of these too, since he's the one with the money today." Killian told Leo, gently poking him in the tummy. Emma passed their baby over and Leo repeated his cuddles for his Dad too. "Please please please ice cream?" He asked, his face so adorable and irresistible.   
"What do you think Mama?" Killian asked Emma, both him and Leo looking at her expectantly. Emma pretended to think about it and then nodded with a smile. "I think that you've all been good enough today for some ice cream. But play a little more first and we'll get them on our way home, okay?" She told him. Leo was already climbing down from his Dads lap and running over to his siblings, shouting at he went. "THEY SAID YES!" He yelled. He may be the cutest still because of his young age, but he was also the least subtle one of their children.

"I love you too, by the way." Killian told her, nudging her knee with his as they sat.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma comforts her daughter after a boy is mean to her at school. Mama Emma feels!!

Killian had flicked Emma a text, requesting her to come home from the station early, simply stating that 'Amelia had boy problems, she needs her Mum, K xx' . Of course, Emma had stopped what she was doing and picked up her car keys, heading out the door. She'd return later if she could, or she'd send Killian to lock up if Amelia needed her for a long time. She was worried her entire drive back to their house, wondering what had gone wrong, and why her daughter was upset. The last time Emma had spoken to her twelve year old about boys, she'd been nonchalant about them, telling her Mom that she had no interest in them whatsoever. In fact, Emma had been relieved that she didn't need to start the boy talk any earlier.   
And yet, when she stepped foot in her house that afternoon, ready to give out Mom hugs and words of comfort, there was an eery silence over it. Killian was in the kitchen with the two youngest, helping with their home work as they snacked on cut up fruit and vegetables. She dumped her bag by the door and met him halfway between the stairs and the kitchen. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and gestured up the stairs. "In her room?" She asked. Killian shook his head. "Liam has a friend over and they're playing in both rooms....she's in our bed." He informed her. She nodded and tapped his chest, then broke away, taking the stairs two at a time. She walked down the corridor and came across her son, who was sword fighting in the hallway. She grinned and captured him with a tickle. "How about we take this out into the yard boys? Less chance of smashing any vases, and more space to kill each other in." Liam nodded at his Mom and he and his friend ran off down the hallway together, heading to the stairs. "Nice to see you too, Wyatt." She called out after her sons best friend.

Emma slowly opened her bedroom door and it broke her hear that she could hear her daughter crying almost instantly. The little lump under the covers gave away Amelia's hiding spot and Emma crossed the room and came to lay down next to her. "Hey." She whispered softly, pulling back the covers to get a look at her daughters face.   
"What's going on, baby girl?" Emma asked, stroking the tear-damp hairs out of Amelia's face. She ran her hand across Amelia's cheeks and then lent in to kiss one gently. Amelia just cried more and cuddled into her Mom, holding on to her as she cried. Emma let her daughter take all the time she needed, just laying with her, rubbing her back and making soothing sounds.   
After twenty minutes, Emma spoke, having decided that her daughter had cried enough without telling her what was wrong. It was time for Mom advice now. "Baby, you need to tell me what happened. What did they do? Did they say anything mean?" She asked, sounding worried. Amelia shook her head and sat up, wiping her eyes. She struggled to compose herself. "It was Gideon." She told her Mom, still tearful. "He was just being a jerk, like normal. And then he told me that he would make me see all the times you and Papa had died if I didn't kiss him. And I didn't want to kiss him, so I told to get lost, like Papa told me to....and then...then..." Amelia couldn't finish, dissolving into fresh tears before the end, wrapping her arms around her Mom and burying her face in her sweater. Emma's brow furrowed, she should have known that anything that upset her daughter this much was the product of Gideon Gold. Bastard. At fifteen years old, he was testing the boundaries, and had already had several run ins with Emma and Killian in their sheriff capacity. He'd been a sweet enough kid, but now he was older, he was seemingly becoming more and more like his father every day.   
"Hey, hey, hey, take a breath....what did he do next?" Emma asked, running a hand through her daughters hair. Amelia pulled back to look at her Mom, looking the most sad Emma had ever seen her. "He...he...he put his hands on me and did some magic spell where i wasn't at school anymore, I was stuck watching all of these visions of you and Papa dying...of you stabbing Papa...and someone stabbing you....it was awful." She told her Mom. Emma nodded and kissed her daughters temple. She and Killian had protected their children in not telling them about that part of their pasts yet. It seemed that Gold hadn't taken the same liberties with his son.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sure it would have been very upsetting for you." Emma said sympathetically. She knew all too well just how upsetting those moments had been. But what Amelia hadn't been given, was visions of the happy times that followed. "You know that Papa and I are here. We're alive, and okay. And I'll talk to Gideon's parents, and to the school. That boy won't be allowed anywhere near you."

Emma was pissed. Pissed that someone else thought that they had the right to treat her child that way and pissed that Gideon had shown her daughter a part of history that she'd never wanted her kids to see. It was bad enough that Henry had been witness to those moments, let alone her kids who hadn't even been born yet. Amelia nodded at her Mom's promise and curled back up in a ball on the bed. "Can i just stay here a little longer? The bed smells like you and Papa and I like it. It makes me feel better." Emma smiled and nodded, then kissed Amelia's cheek a few times. "I love you, so much you know. SO much it hurts my chest sometimes and makes me feel like I'm going to burst. I will always love you, for every day of your life and every day after that." Amelia smiled in response to her Mom and then kissed her back on the cheek. "I love you too Mama. Lots and lots and lots."

Emma stood up and tucked her daughter in the bed, smiling down at her. "You stay here, I'm just going to go and talk to Papa for a moment about the three of us watching a movie in here tonight, maybe with our dinner?" Emma suggested. "So you can stay up here, think about all the happy memories we've had, and how many more we have to come and I'll be back in a little while."

 

As soon as Emma was downstairs, Killian was by her side, concern written all over his face. "Did she tell you what was wrong, did some boy try to hurt her?" He asked, worried and stressed out. Emma placed a hand on his chest to silence him, and bit her bottom lip, knowing that no matter the way she put this, he wasn't going to like it. "Well, no one hurt her...per say. But someone did magic and made her see the times that we died...you know, back before we we married." She told him. Killian's face turned from concern to anger in a matter of seconds. "It was Gideon, wasn't it?" He asked, even though he didn't need an answer. He turned from Emma and marched towards the front door, grabbing his coat from it's hook as he passed. Emma's eyebrows shot up and she quickly chased after him, blocking his way out of the house. "Killian...." She warned. "You're not going over to Gold's house." She told him sternly.   
"I'm sorry Swan, but that's exactly where I'm going. I'm not going to have anyone treat her that way without them getting my hook in their head."  
Emma took ahold of his hook and gave him a pleading look. "She wants her Papa Killian. She doesn't want you across town, arguing with Gold and Gideon. She wants you here, being her Dad. Revenge isn't going to make her sadness go away, only we can do that by assuring her that we're here, alive. Something we can't guarantee if you go over to Gold's guns blazing, hook out and ready to kill. Stay here, be her Father. I'll drop the others off at my Parents, they can stay the night there and lets order pizza, cuddle our daughter and make her feel better again." Killian's features softened and he kissed Emma's forehead.   
"You make me a better man Swan." He told her softly.   
"Good." Emma smiled. "Now go on up to her, and i'll be back soon. And Killian, don't think that this means we're letting that punk get away with this, it just means we have to do it the right way."


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-pregnancy Emma complains about how she looks and Killian reassures her.

Emma had been quiet all day, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by Killian. By early evening, when the twins were both asleep in their bassinets, he came to sit by her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So, are we going to talk about what has you upset, or am i to guess?" He asked her kindly, giving her time to answer. Emma looked at him and then away, shrugging her shoulders. "You'll think it stupid." She admitted. Killian frowned and persisted. "Love, i think you many things, but i can promise you that stupid is not one of them."  
Emma took a deep sigh and closed her eyes, promising herself that she wouldn't cry. "It's just.....I look so different. My body isn't the same and I'm worried that I won't look as good as I used to, and that you'll leave me because I'm not hot anymore." Emma couldn't bring herself to look at Killian, so she stared at the fireplace instead, wiping away the stray tears that fell, a stubborn look upon her face.  
"Emma, will you look at me?" Killian asked her softly, his voice barely audible. It took her several seconds, but when she finally glanced over at Killian, he was looking at her with a strange expression upon her face. "Emma, you are the most beautiful woman i have ever seen." He told her. Emma scoffed and rolled her eyes, barely believing him. "No, i'm serious love, you are. You have the kindest heart, the best smile....a laugh that makes my heart sing, and you grew in your belly, the two things that changed my world. Our children. Your body will come back to itself in time, but i don't care if this is you for the rest of eternity. It's the body that grew our children, that feeds and nurtures our babies. That loves me, that's saved me. This body is just the shell of the heart and soul that i'm in love with." He told her, caressing her cheek. Emma bit her lip, desperately trying to not cry at his words. Why was he such a wordsmith dammit?  
"And Emma, for what it's worth, i've always found you incredibly divine. Which, I think is what you mean when you say 'hot'......you are always, always incredibly sexy."

Emma squeezed his hand gratefully. He always knew exactly what to say and how to say it and she was so grateful for him. "Thank you." She whispered, kissing his cheek. "I just....don't feel that way, but i guess you're right...the twins are only a few weeks old, and I was like this after having Henry too...I can get back to what I was before."

"And if you don't, I don't care. I've come to quite enjoy your new curves love. They certainly do look delicious on you." He smirked, giving her a look that meant he was about to attempt to get up to mischief. 

"I am not cleared for sex yet, Captain, so you better be ready to sail that ship on your own." She laughed, already feeling better. 

"There's a lot one can do without engaging in intercourse, love. I seem to recall you being well versed in that back in your parents loft a couple of times." 

Killian's words caused Emma to blush and she gently pushed him. "I'm not dry humping you today mister. If i can't climax, nor can you." She winked. "Although, i'm not against some heavy making out, if you think you can keep it in your pants...?" She asked, raising a brow at him. He had a habit of....getting excited, when they made out too much, and Emma didn't want to cause an issue for him that she couldn't solve. Killian dipped his head in agreement. "Aye, love. There's always a hand or two around here that can help out in that kind of scenario." He grinned cheekily.   
Emma rolled her eyes, knowing exactly where this was heading. However, she didn't mind so much....he was already being so kind and patient with her, and so loving, this was the least she could do in return for him.   
"Come here then." She smiled, grabbing his collar and pulling him close to smash her mouth against his. Killian eagerly rose up, his lips never leaving hers, and made himself a little more comfortable, slightly above her on the couch. She cupped his cheek as they kissed, the other arm wrapping around his shoulders to hold his back in place.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> P.2 of the Gideon Drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a couple of requests to add another part to the Gideon drama in Chapter 20. So here it is :D

Emma had left Killian and the kids at home, telling them that she was off for an early morning run. She looked the part, leggings, sports bra and loose shirt, she'd even had trouble getting out the door thanks to Killian's love of leggings and all things tight on his wife. She'd managed to slap his wandering hands away to the sound of their children objecting and telling them to 'get a room' and 'grow up'....  
And as she left the house that morning, leaving her happy family behind her, her smile turned into a serious frown. She ran slowly down Main Street, her feet carrying her closer and closer to the place she'd been avoiding going to for the past week. She'd made Killian promise that he'd stay away, both of them needing time to cool down from the anger they both felt towards Gideon Gold. It'd taken Amelia two nights in their bed, and one day off school to get over what he'd made her see. She'd still woken up each night since with a nightmare, scenes of her parents dying playing over and over again in her head. And so, as she pushed her way through the Pawn Shop and into the small apartment in the back, Emma was pissed. 

She walked in on Gideon sitting at the dining table with both of his parents, all of them eating breakfast together. Before Belle or Gold could do or say anything, Emma pulled Gideon to his feet by the back of his collar. She practically threw him against the wall, where she stood nose to nose with him, her hand splayed on his chest to keep him there. "If you ever touch my daughter again in your life, it'll be the last thing you ever do, hear me, punk?" Emma breathed calmly, but firmly. Gideon blinked in shock, his eyes flicking over to his parents who stood behind Emma. 

"Don't look at Daddy. He won't be able to protect you from the pain I can inflict on you if you dare hurt my daughter again." She snapped, releasing him a little, knowing that she was to be careful with Gold around. She spun around to face Belle and Gold, nostrils flaring with anger. "Teach your son to keep his powers to himself, like I have with my children. And if any of my kids come home with a single complaint about him, I'm locking him up." Emma felt bad for Belle, she truly did look concerned and upset, but her own anger stopped her from comforting her friend. 

"I'm sorry Miss Swan, but since I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Gold said quietly. Gideon edged away from the wall to stand nervously behind his Mom.  
"Then how about I tell you? Your asshole son tried to get my twelve year old daughter to kiss him. And when she refused, he lay his hands on her and made her see visions of her parents dying. She is so upset by his actions that she's not been able to sleep without seeing those horrible things over and over again. And your son did that to her."  
Belle gasped and turned to look at her son in horror. "Gideon! How could you?" She asked, sounding hurt and angry. At least Gideon finally looked ashamed of himself. Gold stayed silent and awkwardly looked from Belle to Emma and back. 

"Oh, and another thing. If there is a next time, if you're stupid enough to talk to my daughter again, it won't be me paying you a visit. It'll be my husband, the one who already wants to skin you alive and has the means to do so attached to his arm."

And with that, Emma walked herself back out of the apartment, through the shop and back onto Main Street. She didn't wait for anyone to follow her, rather, she took off on a run again, completing a loop until she was back home. Killian was waiting for her when she came in through the front door, and it was obvious he'd been watching from the window for her return. She gave him a quizzical frown and kissed his cheek as she passed him, only for him to follow her. The kids were all at the kitchen table still, eating and talking to one another. Emma sighed at Killian's following-her act and spun around, whispering to him. "What?" She asked, even though the look on his face told her that he knew exactly where she'd just been.  
"You made me promise not to go." He whispered back, sounding a little hurt, but Emma knew that was probably only because he'd wanted to be the one to threaten Gideon.  
"I know I did." She replied, moving her way into the lounge and further away from the kids so they wouldn't hear this conversation. "But one of us had to deal with it and since I can handle my anger better, I figured it should be me."  
"First off, we make decisions together, Emma." Killian back fired, folding his arms across his chest. "And secondly, I think that 'throwing Gideon against the wall and threatening him with jail time or death if he so much as talks to one of the kids again' is hardly keeping your temper." He added, unable to keep the smirk from his lips. Emma rolled her eyes. She should have known that Belle would text Killian, the two still were good friends after all.  
"I hardly touched him." Emma defended. "And anyway, if you'd have gone, Gold would have killed you."  
There was a comfortable silence between the two of them for several moments while Killian thought through what his wife had done with out his knowledge.  
"I'd still have liked to know. In case something went wrong and Gold had hurt you....And I shouldn't have found out by someone else, that should have come from you. But all in all, I can't be mad at you for doing something I wanted to do too. Do you think he at least learnt his lesson?"  
Emma smiled and nodded, wrapping her arms around Killian and pulling him in for a kiss. "I think so." Came her reply between kisses.  
"I need to shower, since I did actually go for a run too.....join me?" Emma asked, pulling him by his hand towards the stairs. Killian grinned at her and then looked back at the kids, all of whom were still chatting over their pancakes. They'd hardly notice their parents disappearing for twenty minutes or so, and he felt like pancakes himself.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 of the Gideon thing (and probably the last before i move back onto random drabbles)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the 3rd part to the Gideon drama started in Chapter 20 because apparently there wasn't enough blood lol. And Killy IS a pirate after all.

Killian REALLY hadn't meant to run into Gideon. He was just picking up coffees for him and Emma, a task she normally did herself, but had handed onto him for that day. So really, and he'd tell her this at a much later date when she'd stopped being mad....it was her fault.  
He was simply minding his business at the counter of Granny's waiting for his order to be made (he'd decided to surprise Emma with onion rings and a grilled cheese too), when he felt someone bump into him rather harshly. He spun his head around to get a look at the perpetrator, only to see the all too familiar back of Gideon Gold's head walking out of the diner. Something inside of Killian snapped and he followed the teenager outside. With the bang of the dinner door, Killian took the steps in one stride and grabbed Gideon's shoulder. "I think you owe me an apology. Mate." He said firmly.   
Gideon swung around, fist barely missing Killian's jaw. Killian took a deep breath in, his anger surfacing.   
"I'm trying really really hard not to punch you mate, but you're not making it very easy." Killian warned, grabbing ahold of Gideon's collar. "But you did just assault an officer, and I've been looking for a reason to put you behind bars." Gideon tried to push Killian away, to get the pirate's hand off him, but he was no match for the strength of a pissed off pirate with centuries of fights under his belt.   
"Let go of me, or i'll cut your other hand off, just like my father did." Gideon spat. He kicked Killian in the shins, which did release his hand, only long enough for Killian to ball it up into a fist and punch the teenager squarely in the nose, blood spurting out upon impact as the boy fell to the ground unconscious. Killian stood, panting for what felt like an eternity, until he heard the voice of his wife speaking to him. He hadn't even noticed her approach his side, but there she was, taking his hand in hers and checking it over for an injuries. Killian couldn't take his eyes off the boy in front of him and suddenly he saw him for what he was. A boy. It wasn't a grown man who had hurt his child, it was another child. He'd just hurt another child. He was no better than Gideon, and he should have been.   
"Swan, what are you doing here?" He managed to ask, finally looking away from Gideon to see the pissed off and concerned expression his wife was wearing.   
"Granny called." Emma told him. "Said that you followed Gideon out here looking like you were about to kill the boy and she thought I'd want to know before I had to arrest my husband for murder."  
"He shoved me. And then he tried to punch me." Killian said, his defence weak and pathetic.   
"And that's why he's the one bleeding on the ground, right?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. Killian struggled to find words as Emma knelt down and checked Gideon's pulse. "Well he's still alive at least. Help me get him into the car, we should take him to the hospital. And call his parents."  
"Emma, do we have to?" He asked, pleading with her. Emma spun around and glared at him wildly. "Killian, I don't want to face Gold either. But you're the one who just knocked out his son. And regardless of what an asshat this kid is, we still have a duty, as sheriffs, and as parents, to inform them. I'd want to know if someone had hit one of our kids, even if they'd provoked it." She snapped at him. "Now help me."

CS CS CS CS CS CS CS CS CS

 

Emma didn't call Belle until they reached the hospital and had Gideon set up in a bed. Emma had handcuffed Gideon before Gold and Belle's arrival and had attempted to get Killian to leave. Not that he'd started listening to her....apparently he was always going to be more stubborn than her. 

Killian stood by Emma's side as Belle rushed into the room her son was being held. 

"What happened?!" Belle asked, first to notice the bruises that were forming around her son's nose. At least the blood had been cleaned up already. Gold walked into the room, slowly and quietly. He stood beside Gideon and looked down, then across the room to Killian.   
"I'm assuming that you have something to do with my son's injuries?" He asked Killian, before looking across to Emma. "And the cuffs, you, Miss Swan?" He added, his voice cold and calm.   
Emma cleared her throat and rubbed her hands on her jeans. "He attacked Killian. He had to...control the situation and as the town's sheriff, I thought it best to restrain him in case he woke up fighting." She explained.   
Gold didn't look convinced, and glanced at Killian. "And you knocking my son unconscious would have nothing to do with your love of revenge, would it?" He asked, voice dripping with accusation.   
Killian frowned at Gold and shook his head, moving away from Emma and closer to Gold. "Listen, crocodile. Your son is bad news, just like you. He walks around town like he owns the joint, causing trouble and upset as he goes. Today however, he messed with the wrong person. Perhaps you'd better teach him some manners, or to steer well clear of me and my family?" He said, his voice low and threatening, each word, getting a little closer to Gold until they were nose to nose with one another. Killian felt gentle hands on him, as Emma weaved her way between the two men.   
"How about, for arguments sake, we just call it a truce. Killian and I can release Gideon on a warning, and you can take him home. But Belle....please....Gideon needs help. Don't let him repeat the past." Emma said, pleading as one mother to another. Belle closed her eyes momentarily and then looked up at Emma and nodded in agreement. She didn't want her son dying.

It didn't take long for Emma to uncut Gideon and then she was pushing Killian out of the room, him and Gold still engaged in a glaring competition. 

As soon as Emma had Killian in the hallway and they were alone, she pushed him against the wall in frustration. It wasn't a hard push, and he didn't have far to go until his back was against the wall anyway but as soon as she'd done it she felt bad. She wrapped her arms around him and hid her face, letting out a long, frustrated sigh as her eyes threatened tears. She stayed that way for a few minutes, his arms around her protectively.   
"I'm sorry." Killian started to say. "I couldn't just leave it. I couldn't do nothing. You got to yell at him, you had your chance to make your peace with what he did to Amelia. I didn't. I needed that, as her father....i needed to confront the boy who broke her heart. So i'm sorry that i made things worse between Gold and you, and no doubt this'll have knock on effects for my friendship with Belle, but I don't regret what I did. He hurt her, really, really hurt her. And he deserves a lot worse than a punch to the nose, really, he does. But- " Killian was about to keep talking when Emma stood up on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to her husbands lips, effectively silencing him.  
"I know." She said simply, kissing him again, this time, her hand coming up to cup his cheek. "And i don't ever want you to stop defending and protecting our family. Just.....next time put him in handcuffs, okay?"


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fairytale AU drabble of the CS family if they were royals in the Enchanted Forest

Emma woke to the sound of birds singing and she groaned loudly into her pillows. Rolling over, she bumped into the warm body of her sleeping husband, who, thanks to her groan and her bumping, was no longer asleep. "Love, what time is it?" He mustered, wiping the sleep from his eyes begrudgingly. Emma sighed and sat up in bed. She was awake now, she might as well rise too. "It's early. That's what time it is." She said, sounding grumpy already. Killian chuckled to himself and moved closer to his wife, who was now more exposed to him as she was seated. He remained seated, but placed his head on her pillow and peppered small butterfly kisses to her bare lower back, something he knew would make her smile, if not giggle. She pushed him away gently, a laugh rising up in her throat. "Stop, stop....it tickles." She complained, the protest in her voice weak. He simply smirked at her cheekily and gave her a wink. "I know where it'll tickle even more." He suggested, waggling his brows at her. Emma was about to responded when the heavy door of their bed chambers was swung open and their five year old daughter Lydia came into the room. Emma subtly lifted the covers to maintain her modesty with the door being left open.   
"Mama." Lydia announced, settling herself directly half way between the door and her parents bed. "I have decided that I don't want to be a Queen." She told her parents, her voice still high from age, joined with a little lisp from the lack of front teeth. Emma tried to hide her smile but failed, which only seemed to frustrate her little one. "Really Mama! I promise I don't want to be Queen."

Emma cleared her throat and nodded at Lydia. "Well, my love. It looks like today is your lucky day. One day soon, Mama will be Queen and then when I can't be Queen anymore, your brother will become King. And if anything happens to him, then it's your older sister, not you, who will take the throne. And then when she can't do it, it'll be passed to her children. Or your brothers children. Depending on who is suitable at the time. But you probably will get away with being a Princess for the rest of your life." Emma told her, smiling kindly at her youngest daughter. Lydia nodded in confirmation and then started to frown, crossing her arms across her chest.   
"But wait, why do 'melia and Liam get to be Queen but not me?" She objected, suddenly contrary.   
Killian sighed and rolled over to press his face into his pillow. His daughter got her contrary nature from her Mother, so in his mind, it was her Mother who could deal with it. Emma ignored her husband and patted the edge of the bed, encouraging her daughter to join her up on the mattress. As the young one climbed up, Emma ran a hand through the long wild curls that graced her daughter's head like a yellow halo. Out of all of her children, there was no doubt that this one was hers.   
"You just said that you didn't want to be Queen." Emma said softly, to which Lydia just shrugged. She was too young to have to words to explain that she only wanted something because she had been told that she probably wouldn't have it, but her siblings would.  
"You know, you could be Queen one day, but like some of your pretty dresses, it will go through your sister first. And your brother." She explained. "And then you could have it....but I think that you would be better as a Princess anyway." Emma whispered, gently drawing patterns on Lydia's shoulder. Lydia looked at her Mother with wide eyes, excitement written over her face. "Really?" She asked, eager to hear her Mother's explanations.  
"Oh yes." Emma encouraged. "Princesses have more time to play, more time for fun and friends. You'll see, but when Mama becomes Queen, she'll be very busy. Being Queen comes with a lot of responsibility. And Grandmama is doing all of the handwork at the moment, but sometime soon, it'll be my turn, and you'll see that it's a very difficult job. Mama will be busy a lot more, and a lot of people will want to talk to her, I'll be in meetings a lot, with our subjects a lot. Being Princess is a lot more fun." She told her daughter.  
Lydia seemed to be thinking over her Mother's words, playing with the lace sheet that covered the duvet on the bed. She then looked up and stared her Mother dead in the eyes, her expression extremely serious. "What about being a pirate?"  
Killian laughed into the pillow, which caused Emma to slap his arm, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to keep him quiet.   
"Well..." Emma started to say, as Killian sat up in bed and looked at Lydia.   
"Be a pirate my girl." He encouraged, which only made Emma roll her eyes. "Sail the seven seas, live, breath and experience adventure. It's a wonderful life out there on the seas." He grinned, which made his little girl giggle with excitement.   
"Lydia, you can't be a pirate." Emma said firmly. Lydia pouted at her Mother. "But you married one." She replied simply, which caused Killian to dissolve into a fit of hysterical laughter. "She's got you beat there my love." He managed to say, between laughter.  
"And look who is in a castle, not a pirate ship?" Emma said, loud enough to be heard over Killian's laughter. "When you married me, you gave up your pirate ways, just as Lydia would have to do us, if she became a pirate. Now, a sailor, we can manage. We can even have our lands very first female explorer. But a pirate? Never."

"Can I be a princess and marry a pirate?" Lydia asked, bouncing up and down on the mattress. Emma nodded and pulled her in for a hug. "You sure can. But not until you're much, much, much, much older. You're by baby girl and you're not allowed to get married until you're an old lady."

"Like you?" Lydia asked, which earned her a tickle from both of her parents.

CS CS CS CS CS 

Later that morning, after all three of them falling back asleep in the master bed, Lydia and her parents were down in the grand dining hall for breakfast with the rest of the family, dressed for the day. Lydia sat at the end of the table with her siblings, except Leo, who lay in his mother's arms having fallen asleep after his morning milk. He was their youngest child, at almost one year old, and still slept in his parents bedroom, and fed from Emma. She brushed a gentle hand over the dark tufts of hair that graced the top of his head. Killian smiled at his wife momentarily before turning back to his Father-in-law, nodding his agreement.   
"Aye, Your Majesty. Emma and I are heading to the Summer Palace with the children in a matter of days. It'll be the last chance we get to go all together for a while, if your wife steps down from the throne at the end of the year as she plans. Emma will wean the boy over summer and when we return, he'll be ready to be cared for by the Nanny's, and Emma can take Snow's place." 

They spoke in hushed tones, both men trying to figure out what would be best for their respective wives. Emma glanced over her husband and father, locking eyes with her Mother and sending her a smile. Neither of them particularly cared for when the switch in Monarchy would be made, Emma wanting to hold off as long as possible, and Snow enjoying the role.   
"I have been thinking." Snow said suddenly, causing both men to look up at her. "That when I step down...I would like to take charge of caring for the children. I am their Grandmama after all."   
Emma was stunned, traditionally, the monarch stepped down and retired to one of their smaller palaces, with visits for every celebration.   
"Mother, you'll need your rest, the children, God love them, can be a handful." Emma said, careful not to offend. Snow smiled and nodded. "I know Emma, I raised you after all."  
"Well, as much as I appreciate the sentiment, if you're going to retire and not stop working, I'd rather have you as our Queen for longer. I can wait to fill your shoes, I don't want to rush into it. If one of us is to be Queen and the other is to raise the children, I'd rather raise my children myself." She said firmly. There had been many nights when she'd debated abdicating her claim to the throne and letting her younger brother take it.

Emma felt the steady presence of her husbands hand resting on her knee for support as Emma and her Mother looked at each other, almost daring the other to speak. 

"Emma..." Snow began to say, before Emma cut her off. "Mother, I have shared with you my lack of desire to take the throne earlier than necessary. I will take it when you want to retire. But I won't take it so that you can raise my children instead of me. I didn't have children to create heirs. These are the proof of my love for my husband. And I want to be the one with time to care for them, not you. You had your chance, with me and with Neal. And we never saw you. We never saw you and yes, we understood your role in this Kingdom. I have always understood and respected you for it. But this will not be my life. That will not be the life my children lead. Leo has not even reached his first birthday yet, if I take the throne now, do you think he'll have any memory of me? Or only memories of you and of his nanny's? I want him to remember me. To remember his Mother as someone who spent time with him, played with him, fixed his cut knees and soothed his nightmares. I don't want that to be you in his memories. Please Mother. Allow me to raise my children. Don't try and do this for me."   
There was a heavy silence in the room as even the children became aware of the conversation their Mother and Grandmother were having. David looked as if he were about to speak but Snow shook her head at him, gently silencing him.   
"I forgot." She started to say. "I forgot the burning desire that fills your chest when you hold your babe." Snow mused, looking at the sleeping Leo with a smile. "You're right Emma, you should be allowed to raise your children, and I shall grant you this. I shall give you....another ten or so years, depending on my health." Her words caused Emma to let out a sigh of relief as her Mother continued to talk. "The twins shall be of age, Lydia shall be ready to marry and Leo will be old enough to care for himself. Ten years my dear, and make the most of them. They move quickly when there's children around."


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I wanted a chapter where Leo is a little older, because he's always been a toddler or a baby in the chapters so far. So Leo is 10, Lydia is 15 and the twins are 18 in this one!

Emma and Killian had a rule that each of their children had to follow. They all had to text either Emma or Killian when they got home from school each day. Since both of them still worked until around four or five each night, with only the occasional day off or early finish, the kids often were home alone and trusted to get on with their homework. This rule applied to all of the kids, apart from Leo. He was still too young to own a phone, in Killian's opinion, and so he was dropped off at the station after school by Mary Margaret, or another one of the teachers, and he would do his homework with there, his parents supervising him until they all went home together. Some nights, Emma would work until late and she'd send her boys home early with kisses on their cheeks, and promises that she would be home soon.

Emma was caught up on her computer and hadn't even noticed the time when Leo came into the station that Friday. Killian was off at Granny's, picking up drinks for the two of them, the pile of paperwork they'd both gotten through that day needing a reward. Emma looked up at the sound of footsteps, expecting to see her husband, but smiling when she saw her youngest. "Hey there little bean." She said softly, pushing herself away from her desk and allowing the wheel chair to roll backwards a little. She'd been calling him her little bean since she'd first seen him in the ultrasound, her perfect little jellybean shaped baby. Leo smiled at his Mom and dumped his backpack on the floor before coming to sit on his Mom's knee. She gladly accepted the hug and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheek as she did.   
"Rough week?" She asked him softly, stroking his hair as he rested his chin on her shoulder. She felt him nod, and his little arms tightened around her. Slowly, she felt a damp patch forming on her shoulder and she realised that he was crying. She immeadiately pulled him back so she could get a good look at his face.   
"Hey, hey....what's wrong?" She asked, cupping his cheeks gently. Leo shook his head and cried harder, to which Emma pulled him back in for a hug.   
"It's okay....it's gunna be okay my boy." She whispered soothingly, rocking him a little as she spoke, the way she always had done with her children whenever they were upset. Eventually, she felt him pulling away and she knew he was ready to talk to her. She allowed him the space he needed, and was ready to listen.   
"I...I...I had a maths test today and I didn't do good Mama. I forgot all my numbers and yesterday we had a spelling test and I messed up on all my words because I missed a line so I gave all of the wrong answers, even though I spelled them right." He told her, sniffling a little as he spoke. Emma's features softened as she realised that no one had been messing with her kid, it was simply his own self-esteem that had him feeling like crap.   
"Don't be so hard on yourself little bean. You're so so, so clever, but we all trip up sometimes. You're not going to get ten out of ten on every test...and that's okay." She encouraged. "If you want more help with your homework, and practicing for tests, I know a pretty smart guy who can help with that."   
Leo looked at her, a little puzzled. "Who?" He asked her, playing with her hair as he spoke. He'd always loved his Mom's hair, when he was a toddler, he refused to fall asleep without it in his hands, and Emma and Killian both blamed her long hair being down when she would breast feed him as a newborn. They'd accidentally got into the habit of letting him fall asleep at the boob, hand intertwined with his Mama's long hair. And even now, he seemed to draw comfort from it.   
Emma looked up as Killian walked into the station holding two Granny's takeaway cups.   
"That guy, right there." She grinned, finally replying to Leo. "And he's lucky enough to also be your Papa."   
Killian raised an eyebrow at them both, confused as to what conversation he was being brought into. He placed Emma's drink down on her desk and scuffed his son's hair fondly. "I'm very lucky to be your Papa." He agreed, only able to call judgment on the small part of the conversation he did hear. Emma smiled at him and took a sip from the drink Killian had brought back with him. She smiled as the familiar taste of cinnamon and hot cocoa hit her taste buds. She then handed the cup to Leo. "How about you go take this, and set up at one of the desks. I'll send Daddy over to help you in a second." She encouraged, gently lifting him off her lap and onto his feet. "But remember kid, you're insanely clever, okay? You're allowed a week off from being the smartest kid in your class." Leo smiled at his Mom, and sweetly kissed her cheek before walking to one of the empty desks, carrying the take away cup and dragging his school bag.   
Emma stood and walked the short distance to Killian, where she kissed him with a smile. "He bombed some tests and feels pretty bad about it. I think he'd appreciate your help with his homework today, since we both know you're the book smart one out of us two." She laughed. Killian nodded and looked over at their son. "I'm impressed that you shared your hot cocoa with him though....that's not normally an easy ask." He teased. Emma laughed more and took Killian's to-go cup from his hands, taking a sip of his drink.   
"Good thing I knew that you'd share with me then."


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a small Emmy and Killy thingy.

Emma sat on the couch, legs curled under her, covered with a blanket, body leaning into and resting on her sleep pirate husband, both of them watching the fire crackling in their fireplace in their new house. All of this was still so strange to them. This....life. This...second chance. It was Killian who spoke first, breaking the silence, bar the fire, speaking into her hair as if muffling his words would lessen the impact.   
"I'd like to try for a family." He'd thought that maybe she wouldn't be able to hear him and when she'd ask him to repeat himself, he'd be able to deflect and make something up. But by the way her head spun around quickly, her eyes wide and shocked, he knew that she had heard him the first time. So, he cleared his throat and repeated himself, an easy way to fill the silence she had left between them.  
And slowly, after a few extremely painfully slow moments, she began to nod. It was subtle at first, but soon it became eager and she was smiling, kissing him, wrapping her soft hands around the harsh brittle that peppered his cheeks and neck.   
"I would love to have a family with you Killian Jones." She affirmed, her thumbs wiping away the tears that fell from his eyes without his realisation. It was only when her thumbs came away damp and salty, did he realise the emotion he'd been carrying inside of him in relation to this topic.   
"And....I want more than one." Killian told her, finally sharing his thoughts of family life with her. "I want like....four or five. Kids who can grow up together, protect each other....play together. I want to be home and cooking dinner to the sound of our children playing in the yard, with you coming home from work and me greeting you with kisses, and conversations on what trouble the kids have been into that day. I want to tuck little ones into bed and tell them of how their parents met, and how their parents fell in love, and how they always saved each other. I want to be woken in the middle of the night to a little one asking to get in with us, for them to think the world of us, and for us to think the world of them. I want it all with you Emma. Every moment of it."  
Emma chuckled, tears falling down her own cheeks now. "I never realised how domestic Captain Hook was." She teased lightly, running a hand through his hair affectionately. "But I want all of that with you too."


	27. Chapter 27

Ironically, Lydia only seemed to sleep well when she was on the Jolly Roger. Killian would proudly tell people that their newest baby was a pirate through and through. She’d been conceived on board, and now she insisted on sleeping on board. (Granted, Emma wasn’t entirely sure that their newborn had been conceived on the Jolly, but Killian got a certain look of joy when he said it, so she didn’t say anything). They found of their baby’s love of the ocean when Emma had brought her down to the ship on a desperate visit to Killian. They’d all been awake all night, Lydia screaming her tiny lungs out from midnight until five in the morning when Emma had finally given up any hope of sleeping. The twins however, still wanted a fun day, and their energy levels were high. Emma had packed the kids up and marched them all down to the docks, the prospect of being on the ship with their Father keeping her twins excited and well-behaved.   
When they’d boarded the ship, Lydia was still crying, attached to her Mom in a baby Bjorn that positioned her perfectly to scream directly in Emma’s face. Killian had been a life saver, ushering the younger two down below deck to explore, while Emma attempt to calm her baby down. And actually, it’d been easy. Within two minutes and her small love was asleep in her arms and Emma was left stunned. She made it all the way down into the Captain’s Quarters with Lydia, still fast asleep. She could hear Killian playing with the kids further down in the hold, echoes of their laughter bouncing off the wooden walls. Manoeuvring carefully, Emma made the transition from baby Bjorn to bed without waking Lydia, and she couldn’t believe her luck. It was the movement of the waves, she knew immediately. And Emma was never more grateful for her pirate husband.   
She hadn’t even bothered to explain to Killian that day, she’d simply slipped her shoes off and gotten into the bed with Lydia, careful to position the baby between herself and the wall so that she wouldn’t fall out in the rare event of a large wave. (They were docked, and in a sheltered bay….the only big wave they’d hit, would be a tsunami).

And now, two and a half months later, and Lydia still refused to fall asleep on land. Too many nights had Emma wondered down to the docks alone, holding her over tired and screaming baby, only for her cries to fall silent upon stepping on board. So, Killian had surprised Emma one morning, when she was waking slowly from another night of moving after midnight. He was joined with the kids, both of them wearing their pyjamas still, and large backpacks that seemed to be stuffed full. 

She had given Killian a quizzical look and then noticed the suitcase that he’d dropped at his feet. “We’re moving in, love.” He informed her. “Lydia seems to think that she’s more pirate than princess, and I for one, would quite enjoy a night of unbroken sleep some time in the near future. And I’d like to do it with my wife asleep next to me. So, we’ll stay here at night. It’ll be an adventure.” He told her, looking mightily proud of his plan.

Emma had cried, he was so sweet. She too had missed falling asleep with him, and waking with him. Lydia was obviously her first priority right now, but the fact that he’d found a way to make it work for all of them made her heart happy. The twins also looked thrilled with their Dad’s new plan.   
“Papa says we can sleep in the hammocks!” Liam told his Mom, clapping his hands with excitement. Emma had nodded slowly, a smile for her son, before she glanced at Killian. “Don’t worry love, they’ll be strapped in.” He assured her, reading the worry in her face. “If Smee can manage a night in a hammock during the storm of 86’, then these little pirates can manage it in the docks.”  
Emma raised an eyebrow and chuckled at him. “I don’t assume that you mean nineteen eighty six, do you?” She teased, just so happy to have her family with her.

It took a few days to move all of their essential things over to the ship, mainly because they did it slowly. And 'they' consisted of Killian, and the twins. Emma got sick as soon as they all moved in, something that Killian was convinced was a side effect of all of the sleepless nights and stress she'd finally let go of. She however, knew that she felt like shit and constantly felt the need to fall back asleep, no matter how long she'd already slept for. It'd been two days and the only times Emma had been awake for longer than a couple of moments, was to feed Lydia, or when Killian forced her to stay awake and eat and pee. He was her god-send, quite literally. However, by day four of them all sleeping on the ship and Emma was back to her usual self, and in fact, felt better than she had before she'd been ill. It helped that Lydia was sleeping for a good eight hours each night, and that Killian was here with her too. The twins loved being on the ship, and each night when they returned for bed time, or dinner time, depending on the evening, they held the same level of excitement that they had that very first night.

And so Killian had set up a table and chairs up on the top deck, they'd started eating dinner out there now that the weather was warmer. It was seven thirty and the kids were in their pyjamas, waiting for their Papa to bring dinner up from the hold below. He'd refused all help, insisting that he was going to prepare them a meal all by himself. Emma had indulged his request, she knew of the secret lessons he'd been taking from Granny, and she would let him surprise her. Lydia was milk drunk in her arms, happy to have a full belly, and already looking like she was about to fall asleep. Liam and Amelia were playing around the table, pretending to be engaging in a sword fight. They got a little too close and Amelia bumped her Mom, which in turn startled Lydia. There were no tears from the baby, but she did look wide awake suddenly, looking around her in confusion as to what had just happened. Emma shushed her gently, and Amelia began to apologise to her baby sister. "I'm sorry sissy!" She said, sounding a little panicked. "Don't worry, I won't bump you again. Go to sleep little baby." She whispered before placing a kiss to the top of her sisters head. Emma smiled at the interaction, thinking it darling. Heads turned at the sound of Killian clearing his throat. "Let dinner be served." He said dramatically, making the twins giggle. He shot a look at them, coming out of his dramatics to notice that his hooligans were still running around deck. "Bums on chairs, please." He told them, to which they obeyed at a scramble.

As Liam and Amelia clambered back up into their seats, Killian placed a large dish in the centre of the table. "Dinner, is served." He told them all, flashing Emma a proud grin. She took ahold of his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "It looks brilliant Killian." She encouraged. Liam stood up on his chair, leaning over the dinner table to get a really good look at the food that his Papa had prepared. "Looks great dad!" He shouted, sticking his hand up for a high five, which Killian connected. Liam settled down once Killian dished up a helping of lasagne to his plate, then followed suit on Amelia's. He dished Emma and himself last, then finally sat down.   
"Love, do you want to place her in my arm, and you can eat properly?" He asked Emma, looking down at Lydia, how was clearly content with being held and likely to fall asleep. Emma was about to reject his offer, she didn't mind holding her, and she too could eat one handed, but she stopped herself. Killian hadn't had much of a chance to hold Lydia in the past few days, with them both being sick and sleeping a lot, Killian had been forced to watch the twins, and leave his sick wife and sick baby in order to keep the older two entertained. So, Emma nodded, and shifted herself so she was placing Lydia into the crook of Killian's hooked arm. For a man who had been so worried about hurting his kids with his hook before they conceived, he really was a wonder.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had a request to write about Lydia getting her period for the first time, while Killian was the only one home. I've seen this written a few times in different CS family stories...so hopefully mine won't be the same?

Emma was on patrol alone, and Killian was at the station, attempting to work through the pile of tasks Emma had left for him. Gods, he loved his wife, but some days, there was nothing he despised more than her lists. Maybe Gold though, he was still worse than the bloody lists. He heard someone coming into the station and he assumed it was Emma and his body filled with slight panic. He'd only completed one of her tasks, and barely even started the second. He was totally shocked when he saw it wasn't his lovely wife, but her spitting image, their youngest daughter, Lydia. He took a quick look at his watch and confirmed what he'd thought....it wasn't even eleven am yet. He stood up, assuming that there was some kind of emergency, his daughter was supposed to be in school....and she looked scared.   
"Mom? Where's Mom?" Lydia asked, looking around the station frantically. Killian answered as he crossed the difference between them, "She's out on patrol. She'll be back in an hour or so, depending on if she gets bored and pulls up by the docks for one of her 'quiet moments'.."   
Lydia's face fell and she suddenly looked as if she were going to cry. "Oh fuck." She whispered. Her swear word stunned Killian. She'd always been the sweetest one of the children, she was only just thirteen, and still a totally Daddy's girl, and had the best manners out of all four of the kids.   
"Excuse me?" He asked her, hoping to get an explanation for her language.  
"Just call Mom!" She shouted desperately as she ran towards the station bathrooms. 

Killian stood still for a second, he didn't always like to call Emma when there was a problem with the kids. He liked being able to solve their problems, without needing to call his wife right away. So, he followed Lydia instead.  
She had locked herself in a stall, and despite the fact that Killian could easily pick the lock and have the door open in a matter of seconds, he didn't. Instead, he took a seat on the floor next to the door and waited. 

"You know, this is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me in my whole life. Ever." Lydia finally said. Killian chuckled to himself, he had no idea what his daughter was on about, but the fact that she was complaining like this meant that it wasn't something life threatening or a town emergency. "Amelia got Mom to herself for this and lucky me, I get stuck with you." She added.

"Excuse me, I think I'm rather a catch thank you very much." Killian replied with a grin. His daughter would tell him eventually, she just liked to bicker with him the way Emma did and always had. 

"Dad, please. This is literally the worst thing that's ever happened to me and I don't need you making jokes. I need Mom. Or Grandma. Oh, wait...of course. She's chosen the one day I might actually need her overbearing nature near me to not come into work." Lydia said on a sarcastic note. 

Killian frowned, before his expressions softened. He was pretty sure that he finally understood what was going on with his daughter. 

"And, of course Amelia's on a school trip today, so she's not even IN SCHOOL!" Lydia yelled, banging the stall wall in frustration. "WHY ME?" She added, her voice loud and filled with frustration. 

"Lydia....forgive me if I'm wrong here, but....you want your Mother, or your Grandmother....or Amelia? And I'm not the right person for this....and you say that when this happened for Amelia, she got your Mother to herself?" He asked.

"Yes." Came the simple reply, quiet and sad. 

Killian nodded to himself and stood up. "I'll be right back." He informed her, before heading out into the station. 

It didn't take long for Killian to locate the first aid kit, and unzip it. He knew that Emma always kept emergency supplies just for safety. He only knew because she'd told him that Amelia had been caught sneaking stuff out of it, which is how she found out about their eldest getting her period. And now it seemed, it was Lydia's turn.   
He took a handful of different things, and returned to the bathroom, holding his hand under the stall. He smiled softly as he felt her take them from him. 

"This is the worst day of my life." She mumbled. 

"I'll give you some privacy. I think there's instructions on the packets if your Mother hasn't talked you through them yet. And when you come out, we can go get some Hot Cocoa and return home for the afternoon." He told her, leaving her be. 

Fifteen minutes later and Lydia came out, red faced and embarrassed. Killian stood up from his desk and held his arms out, to which she walked straight into, hiding her face in his shirt. Killian rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. 

"It's okay my love, it means you're officially a woman."

"DAD?!" Lydia yelled, pushing him away, looking mortified.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a prompt from the comments, on Killian acting jealous. I also wanted to write a little more about them going on a date, so i hope you enjoy! Leave a comment if you have a prompt you'd like me to write :D

 

Emma and Killian's Date night outfits are above!!

 

 

* * *

 

When Killian got home from the docks that night, he was cold. It'd been raining all day as he worked on his ship, only for it to stop pouring down, the moment he stepped onto 'dry' land to head home. So, as he made his way into the house he called home, he was grateful for the fire that was burning away in the fireplace. He made his way there right away, and only noticed the guests in his home, as he began to warm himself. He gave his Mother-in-law and Father-in-Law a strange, but confused smile. When Neal came into the room, engaged in some kind of pretend battle with Liam, Killian was convinced he was missing something. 

"Is there some kind of family celebration I've forgotten?" He asked, feeling slightly embarrassed that that could be the case. He didn't get an answer however, as the sound of high heels walking down the wooden staircase distracted them all. Killian whipped his head around faster than he should have, almost giving himself whiplash. However, it was his jaw that almost hit the ground at the sight of his wife and her legs. So much leg was walking down the stairs that he got lost in the length of them. She was wearing the perfect dark heels that elongated them, paired with black tights that blended shoe with skin, making her seem endless. It also helped that the dress she was wearing was barely a dress and more of a tight shirt. Not that Killian was complaining one bit, she looked hot. Really hot. 

Emma noticed Killian staring and crossed the room to kiss him, changing her mind as she got closer and saw how soaked he was. Scrunching up her nose, she took a few steps back. "You need to shower. And change." She told him. "You're all wet and oily from the ship." Emma added. 

Killian really would appreciate a shower actually, and preferably some warm, dry clothes too. "Love, what's going on? Why are you dressed like this? And why are your parents here?" He asked softly. Emma chuckled and rolled her eyes. 

"Really? One day on the old girl and you forget that you're supposed to be taking _this_ old girl on a date?" She asked, teasing him. It was obvious to him that she didn't care that he'd forgotten. "Mom and Dad are going to watch the kids, and Neal's going to stay the night with Liam for a sleepover, and we'll take him to baseball in the morning when we take the kids." She reminded him. None of this seemed familiar to him, but was entirely possible that he'd been told in a moment that he wasn't fully engaged in, and that was why he had no memory. 

"Okay, well, give me...thirty minutes to get myself date ready, and then we can head out?" He asked her, already heading towards the stairs. 

"Make it fifteen, skip the shave." She called out after him. "I don't mind the scruff tonight." She added. 

* * *

 

True to their relationship, Killian was ready at a compromise, a perfect twenty two minutes to shower, dry himself, find some nice clothes, splash on some cologne and he was ready to go. When he made his way back downstairs, Emma was sitting on the sofa, a red coat on and covering her dress, both Amelia and Lydia sitting on her lap as she read them a story. She was mid-sentence when she looked up at him, a wide smile crossing her lips. 

"Okay, Daddy's ready, Mama has to go. Grandma with finish the book." Emma told the girls, handing the story over to Snow, who gladly accepted it. 

Emma stood once her daughters had slipped off her lap and she headed over to her husband. She was about to place a kiss on his lips, her second attempt that evening after the first had been ruined by the rain and mud on him, when Lydia pulled at his leg for attention. Killian pulled himself away from the promise of a kiss, he was more than sure that those would be coming his way later when they were alone. He knelt down to his daughters height and gave her a smile. 

"Hey there, chicken nugget." He grinned, using a name that he knew always made her laugh. As if on cue, a small giggle escaped her lips. 

"Papa, will you tuck me in when you get home?" She asked softly. Killian nodded, it was something in her bedtime routine that he always tried to be home for, to tuck her in and kiss her on the forehead. "When I get home, the first thing I'll do, is come and check on you, okay?" He promised. Lydia nodded seriously and then kissed her Daddy on the cheek. 

"Bye Mama." Lydia also added with a smile. 

"Bye kids, thanks Mom, thanks Dad. We'll be back later." Emma said in farewell, before taking ahold of Killian's hand and leaving the house.

 

* * *

 

Once they were alone, Emma finally gave him the kiss she'd been trying to deliver since he'd gotten home an hour or so ago. 

"How was your day?" She asked, as they walked down Main street, hand in hand. They'd skipped the car because there was a chance that they'd both be drinking, and it was always a pain when one of them had to walk to where ever they'd last been sober enough to drive to, just to pick up the car in time to take the kids to their morning activities. 

"Wet." Killian replied, gesturing to the sky, which seemed to have totally cleared up. Emma laughed and nodded, looking up to see the lack of rain clouds. "And, long." He added. "It's always a long and tiring day on the ship, sometimes I forget how tough manual labour is. Although, coming home to see you in this leather crop top that you're passing as a dress tonight has made all things improve." He grinned. Emma opened her mouth in indignation and shoved him a little, still joined to him by her hand. "It's not that short!" She defended. "And the tights make it more modest. I just thought that you'd like to see it on again. I haven't worn it since I was last in New York when Henry was a kid." She added. 

Killian nodded in understanding. It meant that she was proud to fit back into the dress, since they did have four more kids now, and she'd had three more pregnancies since last wearing the dress. 

"Well I do love it, love." He assured her. "And you look very good in it. I was almost convinced that we weren't going to make it out of the house when I first saw you in it." He added, causing her to blush with pride a little.

Emma loved it when he complimented her, it made her feel like they were still the flirty, younger couple they'd once been, instead of the married, very domestic, parents they'd become. "So, I thought that we could get some dinner at one of the finer places in town tonight?" She suggested. "And then maybe pop into the Rabbit Hole for a drink or two afterwards?"

Killian stopped them, pulling her by her hand to make her stop walking and face her. "I just want to say love, before the night goes any further, that I love you. And thank you for always trying to make time for the two of us." He finished his words with a gentle kiss to her lips, which she gladly accepted. 

"You're welcome." She grinned. "And, I love you two, which is why I like making sure we have time alone. You know, you were my first love, before all of the children came along. And even though they all need so much attention and I do love them all, you're always the one I loved first."

* * *

 

They enjoyed their meal, hand hold hook across the table, both of them making eyes at one another. They talked mainly though. With kids around them most of the time, it was so often difficult to find enough time just to talk to one another. They spoke about everything and anything, the kids, work, how they were feeling about Henry being gone for so long, suggesting a holiday together in the future. There seemed to be a lot to catch up on and by the time they had finished their main and dessert, Emma felt full from the food, and satisfied from her love.

They left the restaurant together, holding hands and Emma leaning against Killian's side as thy walked towards the Rabbit Hole. They planned on stopping for a couple of drinks and then they'd go home to bed.

When they got to the bar, Killian ordered their drinks, and then excused himself to the bathroom. Seconds after he'd left her alone at the bar, their drinks were given and Emma nursed one of the Rum's, cradling it in her hand, every so often, taking a sip.

When she felt a hand on the small of her back, she initially thought it was Killian returning, so she turned with a smile. When she saw the stranger that was leering at her, the smile turned to a frown. The stranger was quickly pulled back by one of his more sober friends, a good looking guy in his twenties. 

"I'm so sorry about him, bit of a toss pot when he's drunk I'm afraid." He apologised, reminding Emma so much of her husband. She nodded her acceptance of the apology and held her hand out. "Emma Swan."

"Oh, so you're the _infamous_ Emma." The man smiled, leaning against the bar to speak to her. Emma laughed and shook her head. "Well now I don't know if I want to admit to that...I'm sure there are a lot of embellished stories floating around about me."

The man shrugged and continued smiling at her. "I'd go with it if I were you." He cleared his throat and looked at his feet nervously before looking back up at her. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you are absolutely stunning." 

Emma opened her mouth to respond, a little shocked at how early in the conversation a compliment like that had arisen. She was about to thank him but tell him that she was married, when she heard Killian's voice. 

"How about you piss off and stop talking to my wife like she's on the market?" He warned, his voice low, with a growl to it that stunned Emma. The young man blushed and backed away right away, and Emma spun around, glaring at her husband. 

"Okay, sorry what?" She asked him. "Since when were other men not allowed to speak to me? And since when was I an item? I'm not something to be sold at market, Killian." 

"You're my wife Emma, that means something where I'm from."

"It doesn't mean I'm your property. I thought you knew that." She snapped back, before throwing some money on the bar to pay for their drinks, and walking out of the bar. She knew that she was turning heads as she walked through the crowd, and perhaps this outfit wasn't one to wear if she'd wanted a quiet night with Killian, but she'd wanted to feel sexy for him, and screw what anyone else thought. 

Emma knew Killian was following her, that man would never feel right about her walking home alone in the dark, especially not after the three glasses of wine they'd each downed with dinner. When he finally caught up to her, he took her hand and tried to stop her from walking away.

"Emma, please. Listen to me." He requested, sounding very different from the over protective man she'd left in the bar. "I know you're not property, and believe me, I don't think that you belong to me. But....I do think your heart belongs to me, just as my heart belongs to you." He started to explain. "And...seeing another man think that it's okay to not respect what we have, it makes me jealous." He admitted. 

"Jealous of what Killian?" Emma demanded. "He got one smile from me, you get every part of me. Every. Part." She insisted, pointing her finger against his chest to emphasise every word. "When have I ever made you feel like I care for anyone like I do for you?"

Killian looked to the ground, ashamed. "I just....that man, he kind of looked like me, a younger version of me. And I suddenly realised that you could be with anyone, anyone in this town would be so lucky to be with you, and you could choose any of us."

"And I've chosen you. Time and time again, and I'll keep choosing you, even when you make stupid comments and seem to forget everything we've been through together. I don't care about other men Killian, I only care about you."

He nodded and stepped forward to hug her, hoping that he wouldn't be turned away. She accepted his hug, resting the side of her face against his shoulder. 

"Don't doubt me." She whispered. "I would give my heart to someone else." 

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's our Valentines Day chapter!!!

 

Inspiration for this chapter!!

* * *

 Emma had to go into work to answer an emergency call from Leroy, early that morning (something that had turned out to be non-emergent, as usual), and so she'd left the task of dropping off the kids to Granny with her husband. They had a nice lunch planned with one another for Valentines Day, and Granny had offered to take the kids for them. They'd usually use Emma's parents as babysitters, but since it was Valentines day, and every couple in town was busy making plans, they were eager to take Granny up on her offer.

However, as Emma walked down Main Street, away from the station and closer to the ice cream store where Killian had texted her to meet him, she frowned when she saw him. In his arms, was their youngest, Lydia. She was not quite two yet, and was supposed to be with her siblings, with Granny. Not with her Papa. Emma kissed Killian's cheek as they finally reached one another, and she pointed to the toddler in her husbands arms. 

"Am I missing something? I thought she was going to stay with Granny too?" She asked, gently placing a hand on Lydia's back. Killian let out a small sigh and kissed his daughter's forehead. "Well, that was the plan. Until we got there. For some reason, she absolutely would not stop crying. And not her normal kind either, love. For a moment, I was very convinced that she had transformed into some kind of banshee creature." Killian explained. Emma nodded slowly and then looked at Lydia. "Is that true baby girl? Did you not want to go play with Granny?" She asked softly. Lydia shook her head and then hid her face in her Daddy's shirt. It was evident that she had only just gotten over her tears. 

"I know your parents keep spouting advice on her growing out of this separation anxiety thing Emma, but sometimes I do question if they know what they're talking about." He admitted, rubbing Lydia's back comfortingly. Emma bit her lip and nodded, she had to be honest, she kind of agreed.

The twins had been easy. Well, not easy, as the whole run-around-and-never-run-out-of-energy thing had been exhausting, but they had always gone to other people willingly. Yet with Lydia, from the traumatic day she'd been born, she had only been comfortable in either Emma, or Killian's arms. Even now, it was still a hit or miss if she would meltdown at drop off time with Snow or David. 

"Well, I guess that our romantic lunch for two just got bumped in favour of a lunch for three." She said, sighing a little. It was almost impossible to find alone time with him. Even at night time, it was unusual to not have a night time visit from at least one of the kids. Killian just smiled in that optimistic way he always seemed to find when Emma needed it the most. 

"Don't worry Swan, we'll still make it romantic. We can take Lydia home for her nap, and then we can have a picnic in the back garden, we'll use that baby voice thing so we know if she wakes up....otherwise, it'll still just be us. Parent version."

* * *

 

Emma spent the first hour they were home, trying to get Lydia to sleep. The little one was tired, and had happily taken her bottle and relaxed in her Mama's arms, but she was fighting sleep. Emma could see her eyes drooping and knew that sleep wasn't far away, if the little one would just let it. Eventually, she ended up standing and rocking back and forth with Lydia in her arms, like she had done when Lydia was a baby. After fifteen minutes of being rocked, and a lullaby or two from Emma, Lydia was finally asleep. She made sure to turn the baby monitor on that she would be able to hear her daughter from anywhere in the house, slipped her in the mini 'big girls' bed they had for her, and then quietly left the room, baby monitor in hand. 

When she came downstairs, Killian was just wrapping up with cleaning up the kitchen, the rest of their lunch ready and waiting. He greeted her with a kiss, and took ahold of her hand. "Shall we?" He asked, leading her out into the back garden. Emma audibly gasped when she saw the sight that Killian had spent an hour preparing. 

He knew how much she loved the spot under the tree where he'd hung a hammock for her two or three years ago. Often, in times of great stress, he'd find her out there with a book and a blanket, hiding away from the world, in a new world, absorbed in whatever tale she was reading. And there, below her favourite spot in the garden, was a blanket, laid out with delicate looking treats, flowers and cushions. He also knew that she wasn't a roses kind of woman. She preferred wild flowers, and so that's what he'd gotten for her. 

"Oh Killian." Emma breathed, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tight. "This is so special."

Killian smiled with pride, he had done quite well, if he did say so himself. 

Once they sat down, he pulled out a little box from his jacket pocket, and presented it to Emma with a smile. "Happy Valentines Day, my truest of loves." He told her, kissing her softly as he handed his gift over. She smiled and unwrapped the box slowly. "I'm going to guess that this isn't the new book that you've been hiding from me in your underwear drawer, which means you set out a decoy present and I am very impressed." She said, giving him a smile. Killian looked as proud as punch. 

"I knew you'd go looking. The book is for you too, and since you know where it is, feel free to collect it at any time, but this is something that I wanted to surprise you with." He explained, watching her as she finally finished with the wrapping paper. 

Opening the small box, Emma's eyebrows lifted and she made a tiny breath sound of shock. Inside, was the daintiest necklace she'd ever seen, a thin gold chain with a small gold compass attached. It was beautiful.

"Oh Killian, it's beautiful." She whispered, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips. 

"I know it's not overtly romantic, the woman in the shop kept trying to get me to buy a heart or something, but I just didn't feel like that was really you. I mean, this....this means something. It may not be a working compass, but you're my sense of direction, my true north, and I always want to us to find each other. And this is symbolic of that." 

Emma smiled at him as he spoke, a hand hold his and rubbing small circles on the back of his palm with her thumb. "It's perfect." She told him, pulling it out and putting it on. "You're perfect." She added. 

* * *

 

Emma made him wait to see his gift. They ate first instead, feeding each other small bites of the treats Killian had prepared. They drank apple juice, as Emma had told him that a lunch date in their garden wasn't a great time or place to drink alcohol in. When they were finished with the food, they pushed the plates to one side and lay down on the blanket, Emma resting her head on his chest. 

"You know, your gift was a tricky one, because you're a man of very few possessions." She said softly, pressing a small kiss to the underside of his jaw. "At first I had plans on getting you some books, but I thought that may be boring if that's all I got for you, and then I thought about sex, because that's always a fun time...but I figured that'd happen anyway, and I don't want to make that a gift for you, that's a part of our relationship throughout the year, we're not going to become a Valentines Day sex only kind of couple. So I was stumped." She admitted. 

Killian smiled as she spoke, chuckling every so often. His wife was adorable when she started one of her explanations, which always ended up in a confused and jumbled rant. Words, certainly weren't her forte when she was trying to explain her feelings. 

"...And, while in most couples, this would be a really cheesy gift, I'm hoping that you like this one." She said, sitting up. Emma pulled a small, rolled up piece of paper out of her coat pocket and handed it to him. Killian joined her in sitting and raised an eyebrow at her, it certainly was small. 

"Just read it." She encouraged. 

Killian did as she asked, unrolling the piece of paper, eyes scanning the words. "Em-" Was all he managed to get out before his voice gave out. "Is this...?" He asked, looking up at her with a questioning look, eyes glassy. 

"It's a star, named after you. Because you're my star. My light in the dark....and...stars are the same in every realm. In every realm, I'll find you. Not that I plan on ever being separated from you. But this....this is my gift to you." She said softly. Killian shook his head in disbelief.  "Thank you love, it's perfect." He thanked her, leaning forward and kissing her. 

When the kiss was broken, Emma smiled and gently cupped his cheeks. "And tonight, when the kids are in bed, we can look up and find your star."

"She's already right in front of me."

 


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a request to write a chapter on Emma or Killian coming close to death, and for Emma to have her magic. Since i've written all of these without the mention of Emma's magic, i'm going to continue that way apart from in this chapter! 
> 
> NOTE: I don't write this kind of stuff well, this IS shite.

When Emma and Killian had started to expand their family, they had gone to Regina, asking for a safe way to defend their children if there was to ever be another big bad, or a fight that went down in Storybrooke. They didn't want their children to be targets of any evil plan, and they also knew that one would not sit out of a fight while the other fought alone. They'd always worked better as a team. And so, with the help of Gepetto, they turned Regina's vault into a new safe haven for all of the Charming-Swan-Jones children. They'd never needed it before, until now. Now, when Emma and Killian were terrified, they took their equally terrified children to the vault, knowing that the only way to enter the vault was with the purest of intentions, which would keep the children safe from any evil. Emma kissed and hugged each of her children desperately. "Do not leave, no matter what, okay?" Emma said to her eldest, Liam and Amelia. They were both fourteen, and looked scared, but like they were trying to be brave. "You're to look after your siblings, okay? Leo might get scared, but you have to comfort him, and we'll be back as soon as it's over. Use your magic if you have to, but try and limit it. There's food in the cupboards, and you can wild on all the junk food you like, okay?" She told them. "And we'll call you, the second anything happens, so keep your phone on charge." Killian added, holding Leo and Lydia close. Emma nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay, we should go." She told Killian, who nodded in response. They both knew it was time. Snow and David would be on their way soon to drop Neal and Ruthie off here, and Emma and Killian needed to head into battle. Once they were outside of the vault, Emma sealed it with her magic, making sure the kids would be safe, but the her parents could still enter to drop off her siblings. She then turned to Killian and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, just as hard. "I don't like this Killian." She said softly tears in her eyes. He nodded his agreement and gently wiped his thumb across her cheek, catching a stray tear. "Let's go win then, shall we love? And then we can return to our children, together, and take them home." "Together." She agreed, pressing a heavy kiss to his lips.

* * *

 

They'd been fighting for what felt like hours. They knew the key to killing this big bad was to kill the queen, but her army stretched far, and Emma was exhausted. To her right, was her husband, also fighting as hard as he could. Regina, her parents....the dwarves, they were all somewhere to her left. Emma was about to call to Killian, to say that they needed a new plan, that the Queen wasn't here and they were just exhausting themselves, when the leader of this evil appeared in front of her.

 "I was hoping you'd have given up by now." The evil woman sneered, looking at Emma in disdain. Her army had fallen away, not fighting in front of their Queen and Emma assumed that it was some kind of order she'd given them. 

"Don't you get it? We don't give up. This is not your town, so how about you just go back to where you come from?" Emma replied, holding her sword out in front of her. She was ready to fight. 

However, she didn't even see what was coming next. The queen raised a hand, and a lightening bolt shot from her hand, heading right for Emma. All Emma could do, was watch as the bolt moved towards her in slow motion, and then suddenly, she was being pushed to the side as Killian launched into a leap, shoving Emma to the side, taking the hit himself. He fell to the floor with a crash, bolt sticking out of his stomach. Emma looked back in confusion, dazed at what had just happened. When everything caught up with her she felt the panic rise in her chest. 

"No, no, no, no..." She rambled, scrambling to Killian's side, hands shaking as she touched the wound. "Don't move Killian, don't move." She whispered, tears falling. Killian looked to be in shock and his eyes fluttered shut.

Emma felt her anger take over and she held a hand up, light beaming from her hand to the Queen's chest. 

"No one. Messes. With. My. FAMILY." She shouted, releasing the beam and watching the Queen go flying. The evil woman landed on the ground with a skid and Emma rose to her feet, moving closer. By this time, Regina was at her side, ready to use her own magic to battle with Emma. 

As Regina and Emma battled the Queen, Snow and David helped Killian. They knew he needed medical attention right away. Leaving their daughter to fight along side Regina, they managed to lift Killian into the back of David's nearby pick up truck, driving him towards the hospital.

* * *

 

Of course, they eventually defeated the Queen, but not before both Emma and Regina suffered major injuries. Emma didn't even care about the fact that her arm was clearly broken as she supported Regina in walking to the hospital, the other woman's ankle having snapped at some point during the fight. All she wanted, was to know that her husband was okay. And alive. 

She left Regina with a nurse, pushing away attempts to assess her too. "Killian. I need to see Killian." She told them, desperate to find him. It was when she saw her parents in the waiting room that she finally felt as if she could pass out. 

"Mom, Dad....Killian?" She asked, falling into her Dad's concerned arms. He lifted her easily, carrying her to a gurney. "He's in surgery. We got him here in time. You need to be seen by a doctor." He told her, no argument to his voice.

Before Emma could argue, there were doctors all over her, her Mother standing at the head of the bed, gently running a hand over her brow. "It's okay Emma, you're going to be okay." She whispered calmly. 

"Killian..." Emma managed to cry, so worried about her husband. The last time she'd seen him, he had a giant bolt sticking out of him. "I need to see him Mom. I need to see him if he's not going to make it. I need to say goodbye to him if he's going to die." She pleaded. 

"Well, it's a good thing that Killian Jones isn't going to die tonight, isn't it?" Came the cool, calm voice or Dr Whale. "Killian is being stitched up as we speak, the bolt missed all major organs, and as he would say, he's a 'lucky bastard'....you however, need to calm down and allow up to fix you. And then you can go and see the pirate."

Emma finally stopped fighting the doctors and nurses around her, relief flooding her system. 

"Someone go check on the kids." 

* * *

 Emma allowed herself to be wheeled into surgery, where she was put to sleep and her arm re-set and casted. When she finally came too, she felt much better....a little sore everywhere, and her arm ached like a bitch, but at least she was alive. And there, in the bed next to her, was her husband. She let out a sigh and gathered her IV pole, stepping away from her bed and dragging it over to Killian's so she could get in with him.

"I've really got to stop getting injured." Killian said, making Emma aware that he was awake. 

"No, you've really got to stop scaring the shit out of me." She replied, sitting next to him extremely carefully, and kissing the top of his head. "At least you got the easy war wound this time." She teased. "I'll be in this cast for at least six to eight weeks." Emma waved her casted arm at him and he chuckled. 

"I love that my being stabbed by a magical witches bolt classes me as the easy injury....Is everyone else okay?" He asked softly. 

Emma nodded and told him of Regina's injuries, and then there was a knock at the door. Emma turned to look and smiled widely as her Mom herded in the kids. 

 


	32. Chapter 32

Killian smiled as he lifted his newest son out of the crib and into his arms securely. He pressed a kiss to his babe’s forehead and looked at him lovingly. He hummed a soft tune, settling the lad as he squirmed a little, seeming to object. “Hey, hey, hey.” He whispered, carrying the boy from the bassinet towards the mater bed. “Emma, love, do you wish to hold him?” Killian asked softly. He felt his face fall as Emma shook her head and stayed silent. She hadn’t held their boy since they’d returned from the hospital, if you didn’t count his feedings, which Emma would sit through like a zombie. He was very concerned about his wife, she hadn’t been like this after the birth of their other children, and she’d never acted like this in all the time he had known her. It scared him, and he could tell that it scared the kids. Leo, their newest babe, was only six days old, and in need of his Mother’s love, and yet his Mother was an empty shell. There was a cry from down the hall and Killian handed Leo over to his wife before she could even object. “You have to take him, I’ll check on whoever that was.” He told her before leaving the room. Emma froze in shock as her small son was placed into her arms.

Leo scrunched up his eyes and cried loudly, complaining at being moved so suddenly. His little face turned red and Emma felt anxious. She didn't know what to do, she'd done this before, with the other three....what had she done? She couldn't recall and the longer it took, the worse she felt about herself and her abilities. Her baby was there in her arms, crying, and she was meant to love him and know what was wrong with him and all she was doing, was looking at him.

Killian finally came back into the room and Emma hadn't moved, Leo still crying in her arms. Killian was carrying Lydia, who looked upset, as if she'd maybe had a nightmare. He put her down on the bed and took Leo from Emma silently, walking him away from the bed, calming him with a song. Lydia watched her Papa, bottom lip quivering.   
"Papa! I want cuddle." Lydia demanded, to which Killian sighed and shook his head. "I have to calm the baby down. Emma can you please help?" He asked, eyes wide and pleading with her. Running on no sleep since Leo was born was making his usual patient self, hard to find. Emma looked at Lydia and silently took hold of her daughters hand, gently pulling her closer to her. She allowed her daughter to sit on her lap and cuddle into her, still feeling nothing. She felt Killian watching her, judging her, and she wanted to be doing a good job for him, for the kids, she just....couldn't. 

"I called your Mother." Killian finally said, unable to take Emma's silence for a second longer. Her eyes snapped up to look at him and he immediately felt awful. She looked so betrayed and hurt. "You did what?" She asked in disbelief, as if she were hoping to have misheard him. 

"I called Snow." He confirmed with a small nod, still rocking Leo. "I'm taking the older three out for the day and you're staying here with Leo and your Mother." He informed her. 

"Why?" She asked her word choking out of her mouth, sounding devastated. "I'm not a child Killian, i don't need my Mom."

"Well, actually, I think you do." He interrupted her. "You've never been like this after giving birth and it's scaring me." 

"Like what, Killian?" She asked accusingly, her stare at him hot with anger. 

"Like this....zombie woman who's replaced my wife. You won't hold your son unless you're feeding him, and even then, i'm the one who goes to him when he cries. The other kids need you too, and you do nothing. I understand the exhaustion that comes after childbirth, i've seen you through it before, but this....this is different. This is as if you've lost the love inside of you."

Emma didn't know what to say, she was stunned into silence. And yet, was he wrong? She had to know that there was something off about her this past week. She knew she wasn't the same woman who she'd been before having Leo. 

There was a faint knock at the door from downstairs and Killian gave Emma a look. He placed Leo down on the mattress near her, careful to place a pillow on either side of him so he couldn't roll off the bed. He then lifted Lydia from Emma's arms. 

"We'll be back tonight. Please....listen to your Mother, talk to her."

* * *

 

When Snow came up to Emma's room, she was still seated on the bed, with Leo laying between the pillows. Snow too one look at her daughter and saw exactly what Killian had been saying on the phone. Her heart sank immediately, but pushed it down to smile and walked to the bed to see her newest Grand-son. 

"Look at this cute baby." She cooed, picking Leo up and cuddling him close. "He looks so much like Killian, finally." She told Emma with a smile. They'd always joked that none of the kids looked like Killian yet, with Liam looking more like David, and both Lydia and Amelia looking like their Mother. Emma nodded, agreeing with her own Mom. "He does." She replied, voice flat and tired. 

"Emma, we're worried about you. And I think you need to see Archie.I think that you're going through post-"

"Don't." Emma snapped, interrupting her Mom. "Don't say it." She demanded, getting off the bed. "I'm fine, okay? I'm fine." She insisted, taking Leo from her Mom, being a little too rough with him, which caused him to cry. "See? I can hold him, if that's what everyone is soon worried about. I can hold him, i fee him." She shouted. Leo was screaming in her arms, her raised voice and the quick jostle between his Grandmother and his Mom startling him. 

"Emma, you're scaring him." Snow said softly, reaching out gently. 

"Don't tell me how to parent. Just....get out." Emma said coldly, pointing to the door. There would have been a heavy silence that fell between them, if it hadn't been for Leo's cries. Snow looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it, walking slowly and sadly out of the bedroom. 

Once she was gone, Emma took a few deeps breaths, willing herself to not cry. She then focused on the baby in her arms, really focused on him, for the first time since she'd brought him home from the hospital. He did look like Killian, even in his scrunched up anger. 

"Please don't cry." Emma whispered, starting to cry herself. "I'm sorry I'm not doing a better job at this....I don't know what you want from me." She cried, starting to rock him slowly. She knew how to look after newborns, this was ridiculous that she couldn't do it for this one when she'd already raised three babies already. He did cry a little less, but he was still not soothed by the rocking and Emma felt helpless. She waited for Killian to come back, but he didn't, and deep down, she knew that he would leave her for the day to figure this out.

Emma placed Leo down after half an hour, but he was still crying, so he only cried more when he was put down. She picked him up again, then put him back down, never sure or certain in her actions. Emma sat beside Leo, her head in her hands and began to cry. She didn't feel like herself, she felt like a failure. She was a failure. She just couldn't bring herself out of this funk she was in, she didn't know how to do it. 

Leo eventually cried himself to sleep, which would have broken Emma's heart, if she hadn't still been crying herself. Once she noticed that he was sleeping, she picked him up again, laying him in her lap, watching him carefully. She reached a finger out and stroked his cheek gently. 

"Hey little one." She whispered. "I do love you, I hope you know that....I just....I don't know. I feel bad all the time suddenly. And it's not your fault, so I shouldn't be letting you be the one to suffer because your Mom is a screw up. I'll try and be better for you, okay?"

"You're doing a good job." Came her husbands voice from the bedroom door. Emma looked up at him, a little startled to see him there when she hadn't heard him coming home. She assumed that by the lack of children around him, he'd left the older ones with her parents. Which meant her Mom had more than likely told him about her shouting a little earlier. 

"I'm not though." She replied, her voice cracking a little. He came to her side and sat down, wrapping one around around her. He pressed a kiss to her temple and she gave a sad smile, tears falling down her cheeks silently. 

"You are." He insisted. "You are still the best Mother to our children, you're allowed a week off from being super-mom. Hell, take a couple of weeks if you need to in order for you to feel right again. You have just given life to yet another living, breathing, human being Emma. You need to give yourself a bit of a break here.... you're not going to just recover over night."

"But Killian, it feels different this time, like I don't know what to do." She said tearfully, looking at the baby in her lap.

Killian cleared his throat and kissed her again, as if kisses to her temple would fix everything. "Swan, do you not remember that this is our first time bringing a baby right home from the hospital? With the twins they had to stay in for a couple of weeks till they got bigger and so when we brought them home, we'd already had so much support from the staff and you'd had time to heal. And your parents wouldn't leave us alone, Henry was here, it was different. We had more help as we adjusted to our new lives. And then with Lydia....well....you were out of it for the first week. We all thought that you both were going to die and when you didn't there was still, so much support from our family. And once again, by the time you and Lydia came home from the hospital, you were recovered from childbirth and Lydia was stronger. We had help with the twins from your parents and so we didn't have to do it all alone. But you're right, this time it is different. This time you were okay, and Leo was okay. And you got to come home right away, but we don't have the help we had with the first two rounds. So it's a struggle to balance the crazy three we already have, on top of the demands of a newborn. It's no surprise that you're struggling, I'm struggling too."

"You are?" Emma asked, looking over at him, bottom lip quivering. 

"Of course I am, love. I'm exhausted all the time, the kids are driving me up the wall, Leo won't sleep when I want him too, it's tough. But we can surely get through this, together?" He asked, nudging her gently. His words warranted a small smile from her and she finally leaned into his one armed hug. 

"I feel all of that....all of the exhaustion, the stress...the frustration. And it just makes me feel like he'd be better off without me." She admitted softly. 

"Hey, hey, hey. Never Swan, never. No one in this family would ever, ever, EVER, be better off without you, okay?" He told her, moving to the floor so he could kneel in front of her and see her face directly. "You are just going through all of the things I am, with all of the hormones of having a new baby on top of that. Nothing more. You're not failing. You're not screwing up. You're the love of my life and our children are lucky to have you as their Mum. The luckiest kids on earth. In any realm." He insisted, squeezing her hand. 

* * *

 

It was later that night and Emma was definitely perking up a little. She'd even held Leo without him crying for her to do so, and later, had allowed Lydia and Amelia to style her hair in what ever weird and creative ways they could. The sister giggled at their Mom's new look, and then she tickled them until they were screeching and begging to be released. When she finally let them escape, she was smiling, something Killian hadn't seen a while. It helped her to know that he was finding it as tough as she was, the only difference being her pregnancy and post-birth hormones messing her up a little more.

She managed to kiss all of the kids as they climbed into their beds and as she sat on Liam's bed, kissing his forehead and tucking him in, he wrapped his arms around his Mama's neck, holding her close. "Thanks Mama." He sighed happily. 

"For what, bud?" Emma asked, returning the hug with a soft smile. 

"You make my heart smile and I love you every seconds of every minutes of every days. Will you be my Mama forever?" Asked the six year old innocently. Emma felt a lump form in her throat and she gave her son a smile as she managed to nod. 

"Forever and ever." She promised, kissing him one more time before finally managing to leave the room where she could cry a little bit. Killian found her in the hallway, hiding her face as she cried and his immediate reaction was to worry. 

"Emma, what's wrong?" He asked in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the kids who were finally in bed. 

"Nothing." She insisted, wiping away her tears. "I just really love our family, okay? And I'm only crying because you got me pregnant and that does things to a woman's hormones."

* * *

 

It was a couple of hours later when Emma slipped into the bath that Killian had run for her. She felt her muscles relax as she got into the water and after a couple of seconds of wincing, the sting from childbirth dissipated. Killian had been sure to use no soaps or scents in the water, knowing that it may cause her more pain, and he'd kept the water not too hot, so that she would be able to stand it this soon after having Leo. He had, however, placed candles all around the bathroom, the vanilla ones she loved so much and had lit them all so that her bathing experience was as calming as possible.

When she'd been in that bath for twenty minutes or so, he slipped into the bathroom, holding Leo, who was both sleeping, and naked. "I thought that some skin on skin time may be nice for the two of you?" Killian whispered, holding Leo out to his wife. Leo's umbilical cord had fallen off at record speed, and so he was finally able to have his tummy in water. Emma smiled and took Leo from Killian, careful not to wake him, and she placed him belly side down, on her chest. She then sank back down into the bath so that he was under the water up to his little pink bum. Killian let out a sigh of happiness and sat down on the closed toilet seat for a moment.

Emma gave him a funny look, as if to ask him why he was watching them and he just shrugged in return. 

"You make me very happy Emma Swan. Very happy indeed." He told her with a smile that seemed so genuine and sincere that it made Emma want to cry. 

Damn hormones. 

* * *

 

Soon, the water was too cold for both Leo and Emma, so she called out for her husband to return to the bathroom and help her get their son. Killian took Leo first, who was still miraculously asleep, and wrapped him in a soft, fluffy towel. Tucking his freshly wrapped pirate into the curve of his blunted arm, he then held his hand out to Emma, helping her to her feet. As the water ran off her body, he handed her a towel and then gave his hand once more to aid her in the stepping out of the bath.

Emma changed into fresh clothes as Killian carefully dried Leo, managing to keep him sleeping. When Emma was dressed and her hair was tied into a messy bun, she came into the main part of the bedroom holding a fresh diaper and clothes for Leo. She knew it was harder for Killian to dress him that it was for her, so she was more than happy to help him after he'd been so good to help her. 

As she buttoned up the tiny onesie on her son, and pulled on some soft trousers, she couldn't help but smile at him. Once he was dressed she lifted him and pressed kiss after kiss on his tiny cheek. "Killian, I love him so much." She told her husband, who was sitting in bed next to her. 

"I know love. He loves you too." He grinned, watching her.

 


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, sorry for the absence, i was rushed to hospital and had some emergency surgery so i've only just gotten home. BUT....it did inspire this chapter! So i hope you enjoy some worried mama Emma and Papa Killian moments!

It was Amelia who woke her parents that night, coming into their bedroom at a little after three in the morning, shaking them both awake from where she'd crawled to sit between them. Both Emma and Killian were in such deep sleeps that the ten year old had been able to get onto her parents bed without them waking, and she'd been shaking them both for several moments before there was any movement. 

Emma grunted first and lifted her head, frowning in confusion. "What time is it?" Came her first words, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she slowly sat up. It was very unusual for Amelia to the one to wake them, as it was typically Lydia or baby Leo who spent their nights in the master bedroom still. Killian cleared his throat and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. "Too early for conversation love." He replied to her question, throat thick and heavy with sleep.

"What is it Amelia?" Emma asked, tiredly. 

"Liam isn't feeling good. His tummy hurts and he's crying." She told her parents finally. Both of them threw the covers off and were on their feet in seconds, heading into their son's bedroom. He wasn't a kid to complain, and both of them were startled at the thought of their son being ill or in pain. Amelia followed behind her parents as they all entered Liam's bedroom. 

Emma sat on the edge of the boy's mattress, and Killian knelt by his side. Killian felt his son's head and frowned at Emma. "He has a temperature i think." He said softly. Emma lifted the blanket from her son's small frame to inspect where he was clutching in pain. 

"It's okay baby, let Mama see. Where does it hurt?" She asked softly, running her hand up and down his arm comfortingly. Liam was unable to speak, just pointed at his bellybutton and cried more. 

"Okay, okay, you're going to be okay." She hushed, covering him with the blanket again. "Amelia, will you go get the thermometer from the bathroom for me please?" She asked her eldest daughter, hoping to get her out of the room. Amelia nodded fervently and ran out of the room, wanting to be helpful.

"Killian, i think he's got appendicitis." Emma told her husband quietly. "I had it when i was a kid and i remember a fever, and the pain and..." She was about to continue when her son suddenly sat up and threw up over her lap. 

"...throwing up." She finished with a grimace. 

"Sorry mama." Liam cried, falling back into his pillows. 

"It's okay kid, not the first time you've done that to me." She said kindly. "Amelia! Bring a towel too please." She called out, hoping her daughter would hear her and that the other two kids in the house wouldn't wake up. 

Killian looked worried at his wife's diagnosis. "Swan, what is appendicitis and how serious is it?" He asked, panicking. 

"He'll have to have an operation if i'm right." She told him.

He was about to totally freak out when Amelia came back into the room, holding a towel and a thermometer. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the vomit and practically threw the towel at her Mom. "Ew....gross." She muttered. 

Emma wiped herself up as best she could, luckily it'd only landed on her clothes and not her hair or her skin. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Amelia, you're going to call Grandma and tell her to come over now, okay? And you might have to call a couple of times before she answers, but keep trying. Killian, you're going to stay with Liam, but maybe move him to the bathroom in case he's sick anymore. I'm going to quickly change and wash myself and then we'll take him to hospital as soon as Mom gets here." Emma instructed. Amelia nodded firmly and ran off to make the call and Killian stood, lifting his son easily in his arms, careful to be gentle with him.

"He'll be okay, right Swan?" Killian asked, still looking concerned. 

"He'll be okay Killian. We just need to get him to the hospital sooner rather than later. I'd rather be wrong and safe than wait until morning to see if he improves."

* * *

 

Ten minutes later and Emma had cleaned herself up so she no longer smelled like vomit, and was dressed in warmer clothes to go outside in. She faintly heard her Mom arriving, as she checked in on Killian and Liam, who was clearly being cleaned up after another round of vomit. 

She quickly greeted her Mom, and kissed Amelia on the cheek, telling her that she was to go right to bed. She thanked her Mom and told her to sleep in the master bed, as it was probably still warm and a hell of a lot more comfortable. She also left instructions of where Leo's formula was and when his next feed should be. Then, Killian and Emma left for the hospital together, Liam still crying and writhing in his father's arms. 

* * *

 

When they reached the hospital it was pretty empty. Granted, it was the middle of the night and Storybrooke was a small town. Luckily, they did always have an on-call surgeon, with surgical nurses ready. Killian placed his small son on a stretcher but remained holding his hand as they were rushed through to pre-op. 

"With adults, we'd wait until morning, deliver antibiotics and then think about operating, but he's at risk of a burst appendix if we wait any longer." The doctor told Emma and Killian. "The nurse will prep him for surgery and he'll be taken in soon." He told them before walking off, leaving them with Liam.

He lay in the bed crying silently, the pain meds he'd been given finally setting in, but not taking away any of his fear. 

Killian sat on the chair next to his bed and held his hand, while Emma sat next to his, stroking his hair fondly. 

"You're just going to go to sleep, and when you wake up, your tummy will be all fixed. And you'll get some ice cream and lots and lots of cuddles." Emma promised with a smile. Killian pressed a kiss to Liam's hand and gave him a wink. "You'll be fine my boy, pirates are always fine." He told him. 

"Papa...I'm scared." Liam admitted quietly, breaking Emma's heart. Killian nodded and cleared his throat, Emma could tell that he was putting on a strong front for Liam. "You know, it's always good to be a little scared I think." He told him. "I'll tell you a secret, shall I, my boy?" He whispered, leaning forwards. Liam nodded and tightened his grip on Killian's hand. "I'm scared too sometimes. But what makes me feel brave, is knowing that I have a wonderful family to help me and look after me. We have your sisters, your baby brother, your big brother....your grandparents...but most of all, best of all, we have your Mum. And she makes me feel brave, because she looks after all of us, aye?"

Liam nodded in agreement and suddenly there were nurses everywhere, telling Emma and Killian that they needed to take Liam away now, and that they would have to wait in the waiting room. Killian took Emma in his arms and together they watched as their son was wheeled away from them. 

As soon as he was out of sight, Emma turned to hide her head in Killian's chest, burying her face under his jacket as she attempted to keep her cool and not break down. He held her close, attempting his own efforts at composure, rubbing comforting circles on her back. 

"Come love, let's go wait in the waiting room." 

* * *

 

Emma held Killian's hand the entire time Liam was in surgery. She knew that logically, it was an easy surgery, one that she herself had had when she was a kid. But it didn't mean that she didn't feel sick to her stomach, mind racing through every possible complication that could happen to her boy. When the nurse finally did come to collect them, Emma felt as if she'd been holding her breath the entire time.

"He's okay?" She asked quickly, getting to her feet. The nurse smiled at her kindly and nodded. "The surgery went well. He'll wake up pretty groggy and maybe a little grumpy or sad, but the surgeon will be in soon to explain how it went." She promised, leading them down the hall to the recovery room. 

Nearly as soon as they arrived at Liam's side, did he begin to stir, little moans escaping him as he rolled over in the bed, holding his tummy. "It's hurtssss!" He cried out suddenly, to which a nurse quickly responded by injecting more pain meds into his I.V line. 

"It's okay my sweet boy, it's just from the operation. They've given you some more medication to help." Emma said softly, stroking his hair. 

"You can lay with him if it'll help him. Just be careful of his stomach." The nurse told her with a smile. Emma nodded gratefully and carefully got up onto the bed, and lay down, allowing Liam to curl up into her. She kissed the top of his head and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him. He let out a few whimpers before the medication set in and he fell asleep again. Killian smiled at the sight of his wife and son, and pressed a kiss to both of their foreheads. 

"I'll call your Mum and let her know that he's okay." Killian told her in a whisper, before excusing himself.

* * *

 

Hours later, and Liam was set up in the children's ward, his iPad from home sitting on his bedside table, as he sat in the hospital bed, recovering quietly. Emma was still by his side, reading a book as he rested. Killian had gone home to help Mary Margaret with the other kids and to drop the older ones off at school. When he finally made it back to the hospital with only Leo in his arms, Liam was watching a movie on his iPad, eating a small tub of ice cream as he snuggled the blanket he'd had since birth that Emma had magicked from home for him.

Emma smiled at the sight of Killian and Leo, holding her arms out to take her baby. Leo cooed happily and squirmed from his Dad's arms to his Mom's. 

"Papa, watch this movie with me?" Liam asked softly, shifting over in the bed to make space for the older pirate. Killian smiled and got into the bed with his son, careful to not knock any wires or IV lines that were attached to his boy. Once he was settled, Liam rested his head against Killian's chest, continuing to watch the Spiderman film Emma had put on for him. 

And as Leo fell asleep in her arms, Emma couldn't help but feel satisfaction that everyone was going to be okay. 


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a part 2 to the last chapter!

Three nights in hospital, and Liam was finally being allowed home. Emma had stayed in the hospital over night with Liam, while Mary Margaret stayed at home with Killian to help him with the other kids. Thanks to the medication her boy was on, he wasn't in that much pain, just tired and very, very, very bored. She was happy to finally be taking him home though, he needed to be around his siblings and be back in his usual routine, or at least, trying to. He had to take things slowly for the next couple of weeks, something that was going to be a mission for her active ten year old. 

Killian had wanted to be there at the hospital when Liam was discharged, but the doctors took their sweet time to arrive and sign him off, and someone had to pick the kids up from school, and Leo was due a feed and his formula was all at home. Emma had offered to breast feed him at the hospital, but Killian had reminded her that they didn't really have time for him to fall asleep, something he always did at the boob. And anyway, the boy wasn't screaming for food and it'd be good to have the kids settled at home for when Liam arrived back.

"Mama, when we get home can I play video games with Jack?" Liam asked as his Mom undid the back of hospital gown. She'd run home earlier in the day to pick up some home clothes for him, but he'd been napping until discharge, and so he could only now, finally change. 

"How about Jack comes over at the weekend?" Emma suggested, turning down her son's request for his best friend. "You still need to recover a little more, and Jack and you are a little rough with each other. And anyway, you have homework to catch up on." She grinned, winking at him as she finally released the gown from his body. Emma couldn't help but laugh at her son's eye roll and look of disgust that so perfectly reflected that of Killian's. Liam may be sandy blonde and look like her father, but his expression were all Killian Jones.

"Hey, don't give me that, you only have a maths test and a spelling test. Pretty easy considering you've already ditched four days of school, don't you think?" She joked back, scruffing his hair. 

Liam raised his eyebrow at her, -all Killian- "Mom, I hardly think that having an organ removed counts as ditching school." He told her, tone serious. Emma poked her tongue out at him and then handed him his shirt.

"Clothes." She instructed gently. She watched him pull his shirt on and do the buttons up and then held out the loose yoga pants she'd brought for him, so he could easily step into them. She knew that bending down was still a painful experience for him, so she helped him put his pants on, then sat him on the bed and began to put his sneakers on.

"So, if Jack can't come over today, what can I do? And not homework Mama, I don't feel good." He pouted, moving to sit on her lap once she was done with his shoes. Emma licked her bottom lip and smirked at her son. Boy, did he know how to wrap her around his little finger and boy, was it working. 

She let out a sigh, trying her best to hide the smirk that was forming on her lips. He clearly felt good enough to be trying one on her, that's for sure. 

"Well, your sisters are no doubt to see you, Amelia in particular. So maybe you could watch a film with her, or play a video game with her?" She suggested, kissing his temple. 

Liam nodded, thinking of his twin sister. "Did Papa look after her? She doesn't like it when i'm gone." Liam told his Mom, playing with her hair as he spoke. Emma nodded and rubbed small circles on his back. She wouldn't lie to him, it had been tough on Amelia, not having her brother, and knowing that he was ill. 

"She's been sleeping in with Papa. He's taken very good care of her for you, and I'm sure that she's absolutely buzzing to have you home. No doubt you'll have yourself a personal nurse for the next couple of weeks." Emma grinned.

* * *

 

When Emma pulled up in the driveway with Liam, she could see Amelia's face pressed up against the lounge window, watching them expectantly. As soon as she saw her brother in the back seat however, she grinned and pulled away. A few short seconds later, the front door was being pulled open and Amelia was running down the stairs to the car. 

She opened the car door for Liam before he'd even undone his seatbelt, and then she stood there watching him, bouncing on her heels with excitement, but not wanting to touch him in case she hurt him. 

"Hey Butterfly." He said softly, smiling at his twin. Amelia grinned even wider, going in for a gentle hug at her brother's confirmation that he was okay.

"Nice to see you, stink bug." She replied happily, holding his hand and helping him out of the car. "Papa has made all of your favourite foods, but I made him order some of Granny's lasagne too because I hate that you like his fish pie. It's like....we're twins, we're supposed to like the same stuff. And anyway, Papa said that we can watch movies in our room, and he even put a TV up there for us. So I was thinking that I could make a blanket fort for us and you can instruct me on what you want where, and then we can watch movies from the fort." She rambled. 

"Amelia, breathe." Emma said softly, raising her eyebrows kindly at her daughter. Amelia blushed and nodded at her Mom. 

"So, what do you think?" She asked Liam eagerly. 

He nodded, Emma could tell he was tired, even just from the small walk he'd done from the children ward to the car and then the short car ride. "I will probably fall asleep on you but I don't mind. I'm doing a lot of that lately." He told his sister as he took the stairs carefully, Amelia on one side, Emma on the other. Once they made it up the front steps to the house, Emma let the twins enter first.

Lydia was holding a wrapped gift, which she held out to Liam as soon as he walked in the door. 

"It's a book for you." She announced, giving away any reason that the gift should be wrapped in the first place. "It's about space and i picked it myself for you." She added, ruining the surprise even more. 

"Thanks Lyd." Liam said with a smile, hugging his five year old sister carefully. Lydia looked very pleased with herself and then focused her attention on her Mom, whom she hadn't seen much of over the past few days. 

"Mama, are you staying here tonight?" She asked, looking sad that her Mom might be leaving again.

Emma knelt down and held out her hands to Lydia, who took them in her smaller ones. "Lydia, I'm not going anywhere. Liam's home from the hospital, which means I am too. And I think that you owe me at least five hundred cuddles and kisses." 

Lydia giggled and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck, kissing her cheek over and over again. Emma laughed and stood with her child, holding her close as she allowed herself to be kissed over and over again. 

Emma watched Amelia and Liam out of the corner of her eye, making sure that they were both careful on the stairs, heading up towards their bedroom.

"Where is your handsome Papa?" Emma asked Lydia, settling her on her hip as she asked her question. Lydia pointed up to the ceiling with a grin. 

"Leo was hungry and sleepy so he took him to bed. Papa said that Amelia was in charge till you got home so now you're in charge." Lydia informed her Mom with a big grin. Emma nodded and took the stairs, still holding Lydia. When they reached the top step, she placed her daughter back on the ground. 

"How about you go make sure that Liam and Amelia are okay. Just be careful with your brother. His tummy will be sore so no jumping on him or rough-housing, okay?"

"M'kay, Mama." Lydia promised as she skipped down the hallway. Emma turned the other way, to her own bedroom, figuring that Killian would be putting the baby down in there, rather than the nursery. She was right, and seeing Killian holding their infant son in his arms on their bed made her heart happy and her mouth smile.

"I am so ready to sleep in this bed again." She said softly, walking from the doorway to the bed, causing Killian to look up at the sound of her voice.

"I am so ready for you to sleep in this bed again, rather than all of the children left in this house." Killian countered with a whisper. Leo had just fallen asleep and he didn't want to risk waking him.

"I missed him so much." Emma whispered back, sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking down at her baby. "And my boobs are killing for him to feed." She added, wincing a little. She didn't exclusively breast feed, but she was still producing milk, and over the past four days of Liam being in the hospital, she'd not gotten a chance to feed her son, or pump.

"Do you want to wait until his next feed or do you want to use that machine?" Killian asked, face full of concern. 

Emma took a look at her watch and shrugged. "I can probably wait. If he isn't ready for a feed before i go to bed i'll pump, otherwise i'd rather feed him myself." She told him. 

"Where's my kiss?" Killian asked his wife with a smile, shifting forward slowly to offer her his lips. She willingly closed the distance and gently pressed a kiss to his lips. She'd also missed him while they'd been split between the hospital and home, neither one of them wanting to leave Liam alone at any point, which had meant a lack of time being together. 

"How's our boy?" He asked with a smile once their kiss was over. 

"Being pampered by his sisters as we speak. He's a lot more active today, still limited in movement...it hurts for him to bend down and do stuff too quickly but the Doctor said he'll improve every day." She told him.

"Well, I'm glad to have him home. And to have his beautiful Mum home too. I've missed you both."

* * *

 

That night, it was reasonably easy to put the kids to bed, once they convinced them that they couldn't sleep in the blanket fort they'd made because one of them could roll over and bump into Liam and hurt him. Thankfully all kids bought it, and they obeyed their parents, getting into their own beds. Emma kissed them all goodnight and then left to finally feed Leo, who was ready for his bedtime feed, while Killian read to them.

She'd just finished feeding Leo on both sides to relieve the pressure, when Killian came in from reading to the kids. 

"Three....ah....four kids, asleep." He grinned, looking at the sleeping babe in his wife's arms.  

Emma looked down at Leo and smiled, he was so adorable when he slept. She kissed the top of his head and closed her eyes, hugging him close to her.

"Ugh, he's so addictingly cute." She whispered. "But I should put him in his crib." She added, standing up.

"I'll be back in a second, and then we're making up for lost time." Emma told Killian with a sly grin, leaving the bedroom for the nursery. 


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short fic of Emma and Killian accidentally embarrassing their kids.

Emma had taken the day off work to spend with Killian, both of them had felt like they'd lacked on affection for the other one over the past few months and they wanted to change that. So, after shipping the kids off to school in the morning and telling them to walk themselves home afterwards, they were able to be alone and kid free for the first time in what felt like forever.

Of course, they'd spent most of the morning back in bed, re-exploring one another with the privacy of being alone. Then they'd hit the shower, which only distracted them again, much to both of their enjoyment. Emma had used her magic to pick up food that she'd called Granny to make, and then they sat in the lounge together, naked while they enjoyed their second (or in Killian's case, third) meal of the day.

And now, they had a blanket covering them as they lay intertwined together on the sofa, watching a movie together. To their credit, they did get most of the way through the film before the making out started. Emma had her head resting on his chest, hand splayed out over the hair that peppered his pecs and she'd be doing that for over an hour quite innocently. It wasn't until Killian shifted slightly and their bodies moved against one another, that caused her to start kissing him again. It started with small butterfly kisses along the under side of his jaw, her hand playfully twisting the dark hairs on his chest. He cleared his throat and tried his best to ignore her and concentrate on the film. However, when she moved the kisses to his neck, and turned them from dainty butterfly pecks, into long lasting sucks and nips, he couldn't stop himself from joining in. Not that he'd really want to stop himself, either. 

He let out a low growl, which made Emma giggle as he rolled her over so he was on top of her. And that's how the kids found them, their naked father on top of their naked mother, kissing frantically, barely two moments away from pushing things further. 

"Oh God, I think I'm going to vomit." Came a loud cry from the front door they hadn't heard opening. Thank God the blanket was still covering them, but barely. Killian tried sitting up, but Emma pulled him back down again, knowing that the second he lifted his body, he would expose her chest. Basically, they were stuck.

The kids were all frozen in the doorway, and to Emma's further horror, both of her siblings, Ruth and Neal were with them. Apparently today was a play date day, which both she and Killian had totally forgotten about. 

"I need to go to therapy after seeing this." Amelia said finally, turning her back on her parents, shaking her head. 

"How do you think you were made, lass?" Killian asked, sounding frustrated. Emma nudged him to stop talking and bit her lip, trying to think about how best to get themselves out of this situation.

"Just.....we'll be down in a second." She told the kids before wrapping her arms around Killian's torso and using her magic to puff them up to their bedroom.

Once upstairs, Emma let out a sigh and rested her head on his chest. "What the fuck?" She asked, half laughing. Killian couldn't help but chuckle either, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

"Let's just say that we're lucky they weren't home five minutes later?" He tried with a smirk. 

Emma laughed at him and shook her head, pulling away to put some clothes on. He followed suit, finding sweatpants and a shirt to cover himself. 

Once they were both clothed, they headed down stairs to where the kids were. Half way down the stairs, Emma held her hand up for Killian to stop and they both paused to listen to the kids talking. 

"You know, it's gross, but it's probably a good thing you know, heaps of kids in my class have parents who are divorced. And even if they're still together, they never even seem like they love each other." Liam said objectively. 

"Um, excuse me, that still doesn't make it any better? We sit on that seat, and their naked bodies were on it. I am officially scarred for life." Amelia told her brother, ever the dramatic one.

"But why didn't they have clothes on?" Leo asked innocently. 

"Oh boy, you do not want to know." Lydia laughed.

"Papa is going to be very mad when I tell him this. He always tells me that if your Dad kissed your Mom too much then I should tell him so he can tell your Dad off." Neal told his friends, who also happened to be his nieces and nephews. 

"Yeah but Mommy says that Emma deserves true love Neal, and she does tell Papa off when he says that." Ruth argued with her brother, sticking up for her older sister.

Emma smiled softly and then took Killian's hand, completing the rest of the stairs until they were with the kids in the kitchen. They'd clearly found their own snacks, as they stood around the dining table with opened packets of chips and pop-tarts.

"So..." Emma said softly, gaining the attention of all of the kids. "First off, I do just want to say, sorry....Papa and I aren't exactly thrilled that you had to see that."

"Yeah you could have waited till we were done." He added, joking a little. Emma rolled her eyes and ignored him, continuing with what she wanted to say. 

"But, we also think that it's important that you know that what you saw....or didn't see....that's all part of a normal, healthy, ADULT, relationship. And while we could have been more subtle, or been better at keeping track of the time, we still love each other, and that means showing it to each other every so often. It's why we have you kids, because of our love....and before any of you were here, apart from you Neal, there was just Killian and I."

"What your Mother is trying to say, is that we're not sorry about what we were doing, we're just sorry that you had to see it. Although, consider it payback for all the times you've all thrown up or pooped on us." Killian grinned, pulling Emma in for a bear hug. 

Emma laughed at Killian and shook her head, before pointing a warning finger at her brother, Neal. "By the way kid, if you even think about telling Dad, you're dead, okay?" She warned. She then looked at Ruth and gave her a wink. "Let me know if he does me in and if he does, I'll take you out for ice cream and leave him at home." 


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The worlds shortest drabble about affection and CS. Send in any requests for family chapters!

If you'd asked Emma Swan or Killian Jones a decade ago, if they were affectionate people, they both would have scoffed and rolled their eyes. Emma, would claim that she needed no one and that affection was for weak people who weren't content with themselves. Killian would have found his answer at the bottom of a rum bottom and then fallen asleep in denial.

Both of them were resistant to admit that they both strongly desired someone to be affectionate with because they both feared that it'd never happen. It was easier to pretend you didn't need something than to say you wanted it, only to never find it. 

Captain Killian Jones had once had a man walk the plank for making a side comment about him needing a little bit of love from a woman...and Emma had punched many a man who made comments about her to the same extent. The point was, that until they had each other, affection seemed out of reach and in Emma's case, something to be avoided and feared. 

It wasn't easy, breaking down those barriers that they'd both put up around them. They did fast and dirty really well to start with, anything that left them breathless and satisfied was them to a T. And they slowly moved into something a little more passionate and slow, taking the time to really love one another.

And now, ten years into their relationship and a couple of kids later, neither one of them would ever want to give up the affection they received from the other. The once feared Captain Jones would be ashamed to know that all it took was a pretty blonde with magical eyes to have him purring with pleasure as she ran her fingers through his hair. And the old Emma's skin would crawl at the thought of her future self pulling her husbands hand over to her body to scratch her back as she fell asleep. 

Both of their past selves would be embarrassed quite frankly, embarrassed, and in disbelief. 

And yet, every night with out fail, Emma Swan's hands would find their way into her husbands hair as they watched television after the kids were in bed. He'd move so that he was laying half on her, his head resting between her breasts, and she'd run her long fingers through his locks, gently scratching at his scalp. It felt so good that so many nights, it'd put him to sleep until Emma shifted, ready to move upstairs to the bedroom. 

In return, as they lay spooning one another in bed, he'd always shift back a little to give him space to scratch her back for her, gently massaging out the stress of the day and really helping her relax. Once she was asleep, he'd move back into place, slotted right behind her. They were both rather still sleepers, Killian from centuries of sleep on a ship, and Emma from years of sharing beds with other runaways, or having to sleep on the back seat of the bug. This meant that they both would often wake up the same way they fell asleep, holding one another. 

And honestly, despite years of running from exactly what they had together, neither one of them would trade it for the world. Because what they had, what they'd created together, was the best thing that had ever happened to either of them. 


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short drabble to get the writing flowing again.!

Emma loved her husband, and her kids, really, she did. But, she also loved alone time. Over the years, and mainly thanks to her tough exterior, she had gained a reputation for being a tomboy, appalled at anything feminine or closely related to pampering. However, her husband wasn't the only one in the marriage who enjoyed looking and feeling good with their appearance. And so, seven months pregnant with her last child, and Emma was grateful for the time her husband had granted her by taking the kids out for a day on the Jolly. Henry had even come home for the weekend to spend with his siblings and his pirate.

And there Emma was, fresh out of the bath, still wrapped in a towel with a cup of fresh tea in her hand. Her hair was towel wrapped and her nose covered in a pore strip, the rest of her face smeared in face cream to 'bring out the natural glow' in her skin, according the bottle. She had been tempted to read with the absence of distracting children, but eventually settled on watching Sex and the City 2 on Netflix, lounging on her bed. It was a film that she couldn't play with the kids around, and one that she'd tried watching with Killian, only to find that he found the Samantha scenes very....distracting, and that he'd found it more interesting to watch his wife than the film itself.

So, Emma was finally relaxed. After months of morning sickness and feeling uncomfortable in her body and little time to herself, this was heaven. When she heard the front door open and close, she paused the film and held her breath, expecting someone to come in with bad news. She also became very aware of how unprepared she was for a bad news visit. She was very obviously naked under her towel, and with the face mask, nose strip and wet hair still in the towel, she must look quite a sight. 

Luckily, it was Killian who gave a soft knock on the bedroom door and then entered. He offered her a small smile at her obvious relief. 

"Don't worry love, the little ones are with Henry and all are safe and sound and wearing life jackets. I just thought that you may be feeling hungry, and so i've brought you food from Granny's." He explained, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, holding out a Granny's takeaway bag to her.

Emma smiled and placed her tea carefully on the bedside table, then took the bag from Killian. "Thanks babe." She thanked him. "I'd kiss you, but you'd get face mask all in your stubble."

Killian chuckled and took her free hand, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "There." He announced proudly. "That can be our kiss for now." He told her. 

Emma laughed a little and rolled her eyes at how sweet he was, then opened the bag to look inside and find out what he'd brought her. 

"Oh, boy....you really are the perfect husband." She said softly, pulling out a salad and a side of pickles. To any normal person, and even to a non-pregnant Emma, the thought of that meal would be unusual, but for Emma, she was in heaven. The baby she was carrying had switched her taste buds from all things unhealthy and sugar into salads and salty foods. Killian had been more than happy to oblige over the past few months, and thanks to her strange cravings, Emma had put on the least baby weight with the pregnancy out of all her others. 

"You look beautiful my love, face creams and all. But I promised you a day alone, and that you shall get. I just wished to make sure my son was fed, and that his Mum was as relaxed as possible." He told her, reaching a hand out to caress her bulging stomach. She smiled softly at his hand and then nodded. 

"Be safe out there, and make sure you bring all my babies back in one piece, okay? Including yourself." 

Killian nodded in agreement and stood up, blowing her a kiss as he headed back to the bedroom door. 

"I'll be back later. Hopefully your face is a little more kiss accessible when we return." He grinned. 


	38. Chapter 38

Emma stretched and groaned as her alarm rang beside her, signalling that it was already time to wake up. She really did hate mornings. While her husband always seemed chipper and ready to go no matter the early hour, it took Emma a while longer, and many more coffees before she even came close to being as okay as Killian. She smacked her hand out and turned the alarm off, relieving her ears from it's screech. She shuffled a little, becoming aware of the weight on her chest, which when she opened her eyes, she found to be her eighteen month old, Lydia, who was fast asleep where she lay. Emma turned her head to look at Killian, only to find him covered in a child too, or in his case, two children as Amelia and Liam were both trying to sleep on their Papa. He had one on each side of him, both of the children's sleeping heads on his chest. 

She smiled to herself, she had no recollection of the kids coming into the bed in the night which meant that he'd helped them without waking her. He knew that she was tired, regardless of the amount of hours she slept for, and so he'd done his best to keep her asleep. One hand gently resting on Lydia's back, she let the other one reach out to softly touch Killian's cheek. She knew he was awake by the sound of his breathing, and despite the fact that they were both buried under children, she wanted some contact. He turned his head at her touch and smiled, then pressed a kiss to her hand. 

"Morning my love." He whispered. Emma couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at the sound of his raspy, morning voice. It was so incredibly sexy, accent mixed with sleep...

"How did you get these guys in without me noticing?" She asked, gesturing to the kids. Killian smirked and looked at their youngest babe, fast asleep on her Mother's chest. "Well, Swan, I think you mumbled something along the lines of "they're your kids this early, not mine." and then fell back asleep, do you not remember?" 

Emma laughed and shook her head. "Oh God, I'm awful when I'm tired." She said, a small grin on her face. She couldn't help but laugh at her own words, despite not remembering saying them. 

"I quite fancy you when you're tired, unless you're shouting at me." He replied, shifting a little under the weight of his children. 

It was then that Lydia stretched out on her Mama, and woke up, blinking slowly up at Emma. 

"Hey there my little girl." Emma cooed, lifting Lydia up for a proper snuggle. "Mama." Lydia lisped, resting her head on Emma's shoulder, and cuddling close. 

"Mhmmmm." Emma hummed happily. "This is the best cuddle." She grinned. Killian was going to respond, but grunted at Liam shifting in his sleep and kneeing him in the groin. "Yeah....okay...this is worse than bunking with Smee."

Emma raised an eyebrow at him but remained silent. 

Amelia raised her head from Killian's chest, looking extremely grumpy at having being woken up so early. "I'm trying to sleep Papa. Stop wriggling." She complained.

Emma and Killian laughed, only to their daughter's further frustration. "Papa!" She whined, in the way that only four years can.

Killian groaned, which turned Amelia's whine into a giggle. 

"How about you go into your big girl bed Amelia? You can get some peace and quiet for sleeping in there." Emma suggested. 

Amelia pouted and shook her head, then crawled over her Papa, cuddling close to her Mama instead. All of the kids knew that Emma was the most likely to take a nap out of their parents, and so it made sense that she would try and sleep next to her, rather than her Papa who was known for waking up early. 

"Sorry babe, Mama has to go to work today, and you kiddos have daycare." Emma announced, kissing the top of Amelia's head. Her daughter groaned in exactly the same way that she had groaned herself when the alarm had rung. 

* * *

 

Half an hour later and the kids were all seated at the dining room table and Emma was making pancakes, wrapped in a dressing gown. She and Killian took it in turns to get ready and watch the kids, one of them taking the 'cooking breakfast' shift, so the other could shower and change, then the other would help the kids get dressed, while the other would get themselves ready for the day. She was just serving the pancakes onto plates when she felt her husbands hand snaking around her middle, pulling her close into his front. He inhaled deeply and then kissed the side of her cheek. 

"Remind me to have pancakes with you tonight. Alone." He whispered before releasing her and allowing her the freedom to turn and look at him. He gave her a cheeky wink as he sat down next to Liam. Emma licked her lips and thought of something witty and clever to say in response but she really couldn't think of anything. Rather, she plated up the rest of the pancakes and placed a plate down for each of her kids. "Killian, can you feed Lydia? I need to get ready for work."

Killian gave his wife and nod and a smile, after which Emma ran up the stairs. Showering was one of Emma's favourite times of the day. It gave her ten minutes of peace and alone time (unless her husband joined her, and then it was enjoyable for rather different reasons), and she could gather her thoughts for the day ahead. It also helped to wake her up, which was always an added bonus for the woman who struggled to wake up. 

Once she was done with her shower, she headed into the closet to change. One of the perks to the house that Killian had picked out for them all those years ago, was the large walk in wardrobe and ensuite bathroom that accompanied the master bedroom. Emma could lay down in any direction in the wardrobe and her feet nor head, would touch any wall or cabinet. She knew this for a fact, because when they'd first moved in, she and Killian had had sex in it a few times. Mainly when Henry was home Emma was paranoid about him hearing them. The wardrobe was a small enough area for her to sound proof, and they'd taken advantage of that, many, many times.

She settled for her usual jeans and a sweater combo, but switched up her usual boots for a pair of converse instead. The twins had basketball practice after daycare that day, and she was on supervising, which meant a long day of work and then a longer hour or so of running around with a bunch of four year olds. The boots were great, but the converse were more comfortable for a long day, plus, they made her look like more of a Mom, which she liked. 

 

By the time Emma was done with her hair and make up (minimal, as usual) Killian had all of the kids dressed for the day and was instructing the twins on doing the dishes while he held Lydia and supervised from behind. 

"That's it lad, really get in there and scrub the bubbles into the syrup." He encouraged his son, who was standing on a chair so he could reach the sink. 

"Setting the crew to work, i see." Emma commented, packing her bag on the kitchen table. Killian turned and gave her a grin. "Well, if you'd let me have some more, then it'd be lighter work for the rest." He joked. Emma smiled, but noted his comment about more kids. He'd been making a couple of hints here and there about having another child, and while she wasn't exactly against the idea, she'd just thought that they were maybe done on the baby-making front. 

She helped Liam and Amelia from the chairs they were standing on, and handed them their backpacks. "Okay, who's ready to go play at daycare?" Emma asked, sounding enthusiastic for her kids. They both grinned at her, but it was Lydia that replied, a loud happy cry coming from her mouth. "Yeah, you too my little princess." Emma laughed, taking her from Killian so he could also grab his bag for work.

"Okay then, family. Let's do this." He said softly, taking ahold of Amelia's hand as they walked out of the front door for the day. 


	39. Chapter 39

"Killian, _stop_." Emma warned, grabbing ahold of her husbands jacket to stop him from marching up to their eldest daughter, who was currently talking to a boy from school at the jukebox in Granny's diner. 

"Emma, she's talking to a...a-" 

"-A boy. She's talking to a boy Killian, not a mass murderer. She doesn't need us for this one, she has to figure this one out by herself." Emma told him softly. Killian gave his wife a grumpy look and then turned to stare at his daughter, watching the way she twirled her hair around her finger, smiling and laughing at the boy who captured her attention. 

"She likes him." He mumbled softly, not expecting anyone else to hear. Emma smiled, and leaned against his arm, looking in the same direction as him. 

"She does. And for good reason, too." She told him softly. "He's in the grade above her, but tutors freshman kids in three different subjects, so he's very clever. He's also on the track and field team, the swim team and he volunteers at the elderly centre on the weekends." Emma added.

Killian whipped his head to face his wife, full of confusion. "I thought you said we have to let her figure this one out by herself?" He asked.

Emma shrugged and smiled softly. "She does. We do. But that doesn't mean I didn't run a full background check on the kid the second she mentioned him to me."

* * *

 

A couple of weeks later and Amelia was still infatuated with the boy, bringing him home after school to work on homework together, or staying late at the school library to help study for tests. She even started showing interest in school sports, and attending the events, despite never once going before. Amelia walked around the house happier too, she was constantly smiling and looking at her phone, only to smile more. 

Emma was sitting at the kitchen table with the rest of the family, all of them eating lunch together, when she noticed Amelia was on her phone. They had a rule (Killian's rule), that no phones were allowed at the table while they were eating. He said that he would rather talk to his family, than sit and watch them all talk to other people who weren't present (the kids were convinced he was only jealous that he wasn't super adept with a cell phone). 

"Hey, no phones." Emma said softly, reaching out to gently pry the phone away from her daughter. 

"Mom, come on! I've already finished eating." She objected, trying to hold onto her phone. Emma frowned, wondering why her kid was being so outspoken on something that was a rule they'd had since she and Killian married, he'd not even liked her being on her phone when they ate. (Mostly because, he said, there were so many things that were constantly trying to kill them, or villains that separated them, that when given the chance to behave like a normal family, they should take the opportunity, rather than spend the hours they had free, on some device that distracted them from their family). 

"Amelia Snow Jones." Came Killian's quiet but stern voice. "Listen to your Mum please." He added, which made Amelia sigh in frustration and hand over her phone, folding her arms across her chest. 

"You can have it back once we're done with our family time. Now, how about you start us off by telling us about your week?" Emma suggested, trying to get everyone back on track and happy. 

"Mom, please, this is so dumb." Amelia complained. "I'm sixteen, why do we have to keep doing this every time we eat together?" She asked. 

Emma was about to reply, when her youngest, Leo, spoke up. "Mama, I'll go first. I can show 'Melia how to be a good kid again." He said, looking directly at his sister. At seven years old, one of his favourite past-times, was winding up his sister. 

"The best thing that happened this week was I got to play on the big boy's soccer team at lunch. And they told me that in a couple years, I could maybe join the team!" Leo said excitedly.

"In a couple of years you'll be old enough to be on their team anyway, dummy, they were probably just being nice." Amelia snapped at her brother, trying to get him back for his earlier comment.

"Well you're not being nice." Lydia spoke up, defending her younger brother. Liam looked from his twin, to his other siblings, and then to his parents. 

"I'm not getting involved on this one, you can fight it out between you." He sighed, raising his eyebrows in frustration. 

"Wise decision my boy." Killian remarked, before turning to look at Amelia.

"You were texting that boy, weren't you? That's why you've been ignoring us all for weeks, and it's why you're suddenly rude to your Mum and your brother." He demanded. Amelia went quiet, unable to argue with her father. "Amelia, you're a smart girl, but this is getting ridiculous." 

"You don't understand." Amelia finally whined.

"I don't understand? I don't understand what my girl? Being in love? Falling for someone? Wanting to spend every waking hour with them? Believe me, your Mum and I understand. But you're sixteen and you're still a child."

Amelia stood up angrily. "I'm not a child!" She shouted at her Dad, before pushing herself away from the table and storming upstairs. 

* * *

 

Emma had convinced Killian to leave Amelia for half an hour to allow her to cool down for a while, knowing that if it were her, she'd want some alone time. And they did always say that Amelia took after her Mother. They debated for a moment on who would go talk to her, with the other kids watching TV together, they eventually settled on doing this the way they did everything else, together.

Emma knocked softly on the door to warn her daughter that they were going to enter, and then allowed Killian to twist the door knob and let them both in.

They found Amelia laying down on her bed, arms folded against her chest, ear phones in, listening to music on her iPod. She glanced up at them as they entered her room, and then sat up slowly, pulling the head phones from her ears. 

"Must be a lot of trouble, if you're both here to tell me off." She said miserably. 

"We're not here to tell you off, we're here to talk about what happened." Emma answered, sitting down on the edge of Amelia's bed, as Killian pulled the desk chair next to her and sat down too.

"You see, my Princess, you're not normally a shouting at your parents kind of kid. So we're a little concerned." Killian added softly. 

"Dad, i'm not a kid though." Amelia told him defiantly. 

"Well, like it or not, you're always going to be our kid. So no matter how old you think you are, you're always going to be our baby." Emma argued back, a soft smile on her face. 

Amelia scowled at her parents. "You know, you guys just don't get it." 

"Then explain it." Killian said simply.

Amelia took a deep breath, looking down at her hands, nervously playing with the headphones she held in her hands.

"All my life, you're been these great heroes....the whole family is brilliant in some special way....Henry has the heart of the truest believer, Grandma is Snow White, Grandpa is Prince Charming, my Godmother is Elsa and you guys.....well, Mom, you're freaking saviour and Dad, you have the worlds best redemption arc and you came back from the dead. Do you understand how much pressure that puts us kids under? How every day, people expect me to be doing something great and wonderful and what if i'm not like that? What if i'm just...average?" Amelia ranted. "And worse than that, what if I let you all down?"

"Oh Amelia, you could never stop us from being proud of you." Killian told her, reaching out to take ahold of one of her hands. "From the second we knew that your Mum was pregnant, we've been proud of you. I once did a victory lap of Granny's, handing out high-fives to everyone just because you managed to use a spoon correctly for the first time by yourself. We've always been so proud of you, my love." He promised. 

"Dad's right babe, there's nothing that you could do that would make this family not love you or be proud of you. You have your own journey, and we'll be with you every step of it. But.....I do understand, and I think in some way, so does your Dad. You see, I do know what it's like to have parents who are pretty great. When I first met them, I didn't know I was the saviour, and it took me a long, long time to really show any success at being that. I struggled under the comparison until I realised that no one was comparing me."

"Aye, and for me lass, it's pretty intimidating to come into a family like your Mum's with my history. I had nothing but my love to offer her, and she took it. But that didn't mean that I was on her level. I felt unworthy of her for a long time, she's a Princess, and I was just a pirate, without a crew, mind you. You were born into this family, you're royalty whether you like it or not. Just try to not compare yourself to the journey's of others. You have your own path to walk." Killian added, moving to sit on the bed with his wife and daughter. 

Amelia waited a second and then promptly burst into tears. Emma and Killian were both quick to wrap their arms around her, comforting their teenage daughter. Emma remembered being her age, and feeling so lost all the time. 

"I just feel like the only person who understands is my boyfriend, and so I'm sorry that I get mad when you stop me from talking to him." She said through her tears. Emma nodded and pressed a kiss to Amelia's temple. 

"I know." She whispered softly. "But know that we're only trying to do what's best for you. At sixteen, love is....difficult." Emma said quietly. 

"But Mom!" Amelia tried to argue. 

"No, Amelia, I'm serious. I'm not saying that it's not real, that's not what I'm trying to say at all. I was in love at sixteen and that love, at that time, was very real. And it gave me Henry. But far too young. And it also left me broken for the next ten years. I fell so hard and so fast that I didn't ground myself in anything around me, all of my trust and security went into that one person and when that person left me, I had nothing left. You're like me in so many ways, but that is the one thing I will never wish for you. I want you to learn from my past, to make better, smarter choices. Because regardless of this relationship working out or not, I want you to be okay at the end of each day." Emma pressed, stroking a hand over Amelia's cheek. 

"You know all about not getting pregnant young, I just want to make sure that you also know about not getting your heart broken too young too." She whispered softly.

Killian had reached around Amelia to make sure that his hand was resting on his wife's shoulder as she spoke so openly about her past. He knew how rare it was for her to open up to people other than him, and so he wanted to let her know that he was there, supporting her. 

"I'm sorry Mom." Amelia finally said, then turned to look at her Dad. "I'm sorry." 

"It's okay love, we all do silly things for love." He grinned.

"I hope you're not trying to shift the blame onto me for any of the stupid things you've done." Emma grinned back at him, pretending to be insulted. 

"Not at all my love." Killian replied, winking at her. 

"Okay, that was a one time thing and it was hardly my fault, I thought it'd be fun." She objected.

Killian raised any eyebrow. "The fact that you know exactly what I'm talking about proves it!" He said victoriously. 

"Guys....can you not talk about gross stuff in front of me, please?"


	40. Chapter 40

"Swan, you need to do something about this blasted heat." Killian groaned, walking into their home office with his shirt off. Emma turned around from her computer to look at her husband with an eyebrow raised.

"I mean it Emma, the kids are groggy and bickering from the heat, I'm sweating like I've never sweat before, and this house, lovely as it is, traps all of the heat inside." He added, sitting down on the edge of her desk.

Emma's lips twitched up into a smile. "What if I like you all sweaty and shirtless?" She hummed, taking a long look at his chest.

"See love, I'm not even in the mood for flirting. I'm. Too. Hot." He complained.

Emma chuckled and stood up, arching her back from sitting down for a while. "Well, Captain, I don't know what to tell you....I'm not Elsa, I can't control the weather." She told him with a shrug of her shoulders. "What are the kids doing?" She asked.

"Henry is over and they've turned the sprinklers on in the garden. It's the only thing that seems to keep them happy for longer than five minutes. We're all over heating in this weather Swan."

Emma thought for a while and then grinned as an idea hit.

"I recognise that face. You've had an idea, right, Swan?" Killian asked eagerly, standing up straight.

"Just....hold that thought." She answered, pressing a kiss to his lips before leaving the room. Admittedly, she was also feeling the heat, but her years of not being able to afford air conditioning had maybe helped her build up a resistance. That, and that she hated the cold so much, the heat didn't seem so bad in comparison.

Stepping out into the yard she saw her kids, all looking a little lethargic in their play.

"Guys, stand behind me, okay? I'm going to see if Momma's magic can do something useful for this heat, okay?" She said softly, squinting a little in the light. The kids all scrambled to stand behind her, and she felt Killian's hand squeeze her shoulder in encouragement.

Emma raised an arm and waved her hand about, smiling in victory as a giant above ground pool appeared, filed to the brim with nice, cold water. The kids all cheered with excitement.

"You're the best Mom! Who needs Amazon when you've got magic?!" Henry shouted.

"I'm going to get changed for a swim." Liam told his parents, a big smile on his face.

"Why change my boy? Wouldn't you just rather do this?" Killian asked, before taking a massive run up to the pool and diving into it head first, his jeans and shoes still on. The kids all squealed in excitement and then raced to join their Father, who was standing in the middle of the pool, grinning like an idiot.

He held his hand out to Emma, eyebrows wiggling at her suggestively. "Join me, Love." He called.

Emma hesitated for a moment, unsure of if she wanted to commit to getting her whole outfit soaking. But, on the other hand, she was just as hot as everyone else, and they were all having fun, it’d be a shame to miss out. Emma looked down at her outfit and just knew that within seconds of her hitting the water, her white tank top would be as see through as anything, and her black lace bralette would be see by all.

To hell with it, they were all her kids or her husband.

 

Emma grinned at Killian and then pulled her tank top right off, letting it drop to the grass. The twins gave a loud cheer and splashed her as she climbed the ladder to the pool.

Standing at the top, ready to jump, her eyes locked with Killian’s, who gave her a proud nod.

 

Jumping into that water was the best feeling Emma had had all summer long. Resurfacing and finally feeling cool enough to breathe properly was glorious. As soon as she’d taken a breath, Killian had her hand in his and was pulling her into his arms, where he placed a kiss to her lips. She grinned against his mouth, unable to stop the laughter as she felt their kids grabbing ahold of her back, trying to pull their parents apart from one another. She broke the kiss and playfully clung to Killian.

“No, don’t let the sharks eat me!” She cried out playfully, only making the kids laugh harder with glee.

“Aye!” Killian shouted in return, catching onto the game quickly. “I’ll never let them take you my love.”

Lydia, being the smallest and lightest, had managed to wiggle her way around her parents by holding onto her Mom’s waist, and now was firmly planted between her two parents, legs and arms wrapped around Emma in a clingy hug. Emma accepted the hug from her little one, glad to finally have a none sweaty, sticky hug from one of her kids in this heat.

Emma had just placed a kiss to Lydia’s cheek when Lydia started tickle her and pretend to bite her neck like a shark.

“I’m a baby shark!” She cried out. Emma screamed and let go of Killian, trying to pull off Lydia from her body as she wriggled away from the tickles.

Killian whooped with laughter. “That’s what I call a pirate!” He cried out. “An absolutely bloody wonderful move little lass.”


End file.
